The high-decibel campaigns around it not withstanding, the steadily rising illegal sale of tobacco in Ernakulam is turning a money spinner for the police.
As per official estimates, the Ernakulam Rural and Kochi City police units together realised ₹56.99 lakh as fine for the sale and consumption of the banned products over the past one year.
Of this, the Ernakulam rural police alone registered about 12,936 cases and realised about ₹24.81 lakh, while the number of cases registered and the fine amount realised by the Kochi city limits stood at 22,253 and ₹32.18 lakh respectively.
In terms of the revenue from cases registered under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), the district stands second only to Kannur, which recorded an income of ₹58.79 lakh.
Meanwhile, a year on year analysis of COTPA cases also points to a steady rise in the number of cases, which rose from just 63,513 in 2013 to 95,250 next year and to 1,66,888 in 2015.
Rail, road routes
According to top officials, nothing could check the steady flow of banned hazardous products to Kerala through rail and road routes.
“Seizure of banned substances has become a regular incident during the arrival of weekly trains such as the Shalimar Express or the Dhanbad Express from central and eastern India. The products thus smuggled in are sold for at least five times the actual price,” said a senior officer with the Ernakulam Rural police.
He added that Operation Bhai, carried out by Excise sleuths in labour camps at Perumbavoor, had resulted in the seizure of tobacco products worth ₹20 lakh on a single day.
Enforcement agencies have specific information on the operation of rackets in States such as West Bengal, which are engaged in transporting banned tobacco products, low quality ganja and psychotropic drugs to Kerala.
Generally transported on board trains that directly connect the eastern part of India to Kerala, the products are meant to be sold among migrant labourers camping here.
Meanwhile, officials pointed to a drastic fall in the smuggling of pan masala products as several migrants returned to their home states following the demonetisation of high-value currency notes.
