Madras, Sept. 30: Twelve more persons in Tamil Nadu, described as “kingpins” in smuggling, are to be detained under the MISA. This list includes some prominent persons in Madras, but no politicians, according to Mr. C. Chidambaram, Collector Central Excise, Madras.
T. Gherverchand, one of those wanted by the Tamil Nadu Government for detention under MISA in connection with the nationwide drive against smuggling, surrendered before the Police Commissioner, here to-day. He was brought to the Police Commissioner’s office by his lawyer. He has been detained in the Central Jail.
Out of the 25 persons arrested so far, four or five could be described as kingpins. However, some of the wanted persons could not be arrested because they were abroad on legitimate business which they used as a cover for their smuggling activities. Others had not yet been spotted and might be “underground”, he said.
Mr. Chidambaram said the smugglers were likely to shift their area of operations from the west coast to the east coast of India. This could be attributed to factors like steep hike in oil prices which rendered uneconomic the transport of contraband from far eastern countries to Dubai and then returning to the west coast of India.
Published - October 01, 2024 04:33 am IST
