RAMANATHAPURAM
The district police, in a joint operation with the Q Branch and the SP Special Branch, seized 160 kg of ganja after stopping a car and arresting a person, who was transporting the contraband to Rameswaram to be smuggled to Sri Lanka through the sea route, on Monday.
On being alerted by the Q Branch and the SP Special Branch, a special team, headed by Danapal, Inspector of Police, Crime Branch, and Ramalakshmi, Inspector, Mandapam police station, intercepted a car near Mandapam and seized the drug, packed in 80 packets and concealed in four plastic gunny bags.
Acting on the orders of Superintendent of Police Omprakash Meena, the special team members were positioned at different places on Ramanathapuram– Rameswaram National Highway, and those stationed at Mandapam intercepted the car on suspicion and made the seizure.
The accused, who was behind the wheel, was identified as Siddiq Ali from Thondi and presently living in Devipattinam. He was alone in the car and he told the police that he was going to hand over the contraband to a contact in Rameswaram to be smuggled to Sri Lanka.
After completing preliminary interrogation, the district police handed over the accused, the seized contraband and the car to Narcotics Intelligence Bureau (NIB), as the seized ganja was of ‘commercial quality’ and weighed more than 20 kg, the SP said.
The accused told the police that he got the narcotic substance from a person at MGR Bus Stand in Madurai. The NIB arrested the accused under the provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, the SP said.
