Coimbatore police arrested two men in separate incidents for smuggling nearly 500kg of banned tobacco products. The raids were conducted in Sulur and Pollachi, resulting in significant seizures.
Coimbatore: In two separate incidents, Coimbatore police have arrested two individuals for smuggling nearly 500kg of banned tobacco products, including gutka, into the district.
In the first case, the Sulur police arrested a 54-year-old man on Sunday for smuggling banned tobacco products from Bengaluru, Karnataka. The accused, identified as Bhagavat Singh, a native of Rajasthan residing in Vellanaipatti on the outskirts of Coimbatore city, was caught during a vehicle check at Mylampatti Pirivu.
Acting on a tip-off, Sulur police inspector R Mathaiyan and his team intercepted Singh's car and discovered 438kg of banned tobacco products worth Rs 3,55,264. The police immediately arrested Singh and seized both the contraband and the vehicle.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Singh had been procuring tobacco products from Bengaluru for the past two years and supplying them to local grocery shops in the district.
In a separate incident on the same day, the Pollachi East police arrested a 51-year-old man identified as A Mohammed Abudheen from Pollachi. During a vehicle check at Makkinampatti Pirivu, the police found 52.6kg of banned tobacco products in Abudheen's car. Both the contraband and the vehicle were seized.
These arrests are part of an ongoing crackdown on the smuggling of banned tobacco products in the region. Police officials reported that from May 1 to July 7 this year, they have seized a total of 1,247.6kg of banned tobacco products and arrested 98 people in connection with these crimes.
The local authorities are intensifying their efforts to curb the illegal trade of tobacco products, which pose significant health risks to consumers and violate state regulations.
In the first case, the Sulur police arrested a 54-year-old man on Sunday for smuggling banned tobacco products from Bengaluru, Karnataka. The accused, identified as Bhagavat Singh, a native of Rajasthan residing in Vellanaipatti on the outskirts of Coimbatore city, was caught during a vehicle check at Mylampatti Pirivu.
Acting on a tip-off, Sulur police inspector R Mathaiyan and his team intercepted Singh's car and discovered 438kg of banned tobacco products worth Rs 3,55,264. The police immediately arrested Singh and seized both the contraband and the vehicle.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Singh had been procuring tobacco products from Bengaluru for the past two years and supplying them to local grocery shops in the district.
In a separate incident on the same day, the Pollachi East police arrested a 51-year-old man identified as A Mohammed Abudheen from Pollachi. During a vehicle check at Makkinampatti Pirivu, the police found 52.6kg of banned tobacco products in Abudheen's car. Both the contraband and the vehicle were seized.
These arrests are part of an ongoing crackdown on the smuggling of banned tobacco products in the region. Police officials reported that from May 1 to July 7 this year, they have seized a total of 1,247.6kg of banned tobacco products and arrested 98 people in connection with these crimes.
The local authorities are intensifying their efforts to curb the illegal trade of tobacco products, which pose significant health risks to consumers and violate state regulations.