Banned tobacco products worth ₹3 crore seized in Perumbavoor

Ernakulam Rural police seize ₹3 crore worth of contraband in raid, arrest Kamarudheen in Ponnani.

The Ernakulam Rural police seized over 500 sacks of prohibited tobacco products valued at around ₹3 crore in Perumbavoor and arrested one person on Wednesday. This was arguably one of the biggest seizures in the State in recent times.

The arrested is Kamarudheen, 54, of Ponnani. The seizure was made during a raid conducted as part of the ongoing Operation Clean conceived by District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural) Vaibhav Saxena.

The contraband was found hidden in sacks in the godown of a timber depot at Mudikkal. The police had the godown under surveillance for some time now. Among the seized products were imported cigarettes, cigarettes sold only in Kashmir and Union Territories, and a variety of harmful chewing tobacco items.

According to the police, the tobacco products were smuggled in using lorries from Bengaluru and stored in the godown from where they were distributed across the State and other States through agents. Kamarudheen reportedly managed the godown. He was living in a rented house in Aluva. He had also allegedly deployed migrant workers to assist him.

The police recovered ₹1.12 lakh and a currency counting machine from the godown.

A team comprising Additional Superintendent of Police Shakthi Singh Arya, Narcotic Cell Deputy Superintendent of Police P.P. Shams, inspector T.M. Soofy, sub-inspectors Rinse M. Thomas, P.M. Rasik, and Eldhose Kuriakose, assistant sub-inspectors P.A. Abdul Manaf and Rathy, and senior civil police officers T.A. Afsal, Varghese T. Venat, Benny Isaac, and Sibin Sunny made the arrest. Members of the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force also participated in the raid.