Forty kg of dry ganja worth Rs.2 lakh was seized during a surprise vehicle check-up on the Dindigul-Palani highway here on Saturday night.
One person was arrested in this connection.
Talking to reporters here on Sunday, Superintendent of Police M.S. Muthusamy said that a special Prohibition Enforcement Wing police led by Deputy Superintendent of Police M. Annam, during a routine check up, found five travellers' bags hidden under the seat in a private bus proceeding to Cumbum from Chennai.
On verification, her team found 40 kg of dry ganja. Pal Kannan, a native of Kombai, was arrested on the charges of smuggling ganja, he added.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused had acted as a transporter and did not know the persons behind ganja smuggling from Chennai to Cumbum.
He informed the police that he had received the baggage from a person at Koyambedu bus stand and planned to hand it over to another person at Cumbum bus stand. He was to be paid a sizable amount for transporting the baggage, the SP said. This case would be transferred to the Narcotics Intelligence Police wing for further investigation.
They will prosecute the case further to know the persons behind ganja smuggling.
Warning to bus operators
Private bus drivers and conductors should not encourage such activities. They should inform the police about transportation of illegal materials, if any, immediately, failing which they would also be treated as accused in ganja trafficking. Moreover, the police would also recommend the Regional Traffic Office for cancellation of licence of such bus used for transporting ganja, he warned.
Additional Superintendent of Police R. Shivakumar accompanied him.
