204 kg of banned tobacco seized in Nagapattinam; two arrested

The Nagapattinam district police have intensified enforcement against the sale and transportation of banned tobacco products, seizing over 204 kg of gutka and other prohibited items in separate operations this week.

Acting on the directions of Superintendent of Police K.S. Ballakrisshnan, special teams were constituted across the district to carry out intelligence-based surveillance, vehicle checks and targeted searches.

In one such operation on Friday, a team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police P. Saravanan of the Vedaranyam Sub-Division intercepted two persons transporting contraband in two sacks on a two-wheeler. The accused were identified as Sohanlal, 38, and Rameshkumar, 30, natives of Pali district in Rajasthan.

During interrogation, the police recovered seven more concealed sacks containing about 204 kg of gutka and other banned tobacco products. The two-wheeler used for transportation and three mobile phones were seized.

Further investigation is under way.