Six natives of Bihar were arrested by enforcement agencies in separate cases in the district on Tuesday for allegedly peddling banned addictive substances in the vicinity of educational institutions.
The Attingal police arrested three persons, identified as Firoz, Sabeer and Rajeshkumar Raj, and seized nearly 100 kg of addictive substances, including tobacco products and opium, from their rented residence at Veeralam, near Attingal, during a raid. They were nabbed on the basis of information provided by school students.
The police said that the accused had confessed to have sold the banned substances to students of schools, polytechnic colleges and industrial training institutes. They had been kept under surveillance for the past few months and were nabbed while they were packing the contraband in packets to be peddled. The accused were remanded in judicial custody after being produced in a local court.
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In another operation, Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh led a crackdown on the sale of tobacco powder near the premises of the SMV School in the city. Three persons, identified as Mohammed Shamsudeeen, Salahudeen and Sonu Nadaam, all hailing from Bihar, were arrested with 300 gm of the banned substance, intended for sale through their separate stalls.
COTPA charges
The excise team included Thiruvananthapuram Divisional Deputy Excise Commissioner S. Salim and Excise Circle Inspector S. Vinod Kumar. Those arrested were booked under Sections 6, 6(b) and 24 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 (COTPA).
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The operation was conducted as part of a drive against peddling of addictive substances near educational institutions with the aim of luring students. The law enforcement agencies have been receiving several complaints regarding the prevalence of the use of tobacco products, cannabis and other substances among students, official sources said.
Excise Commissioner leads drive near SMV school
100 kg of addictive substances seized in Attingal