Haul by Excise

7.5 kg of cannabis seized, 3 held

A team of Excise Department officials led by Aith Kumar, Inspector, Sulthan Bathery Excise Range, arrested three youths and seized 7.5 kg of cannabis from them at the excise check-post at Muthanga on the Kerala-Karnataka border Thursday evening. The arrested were identified as Bolakumar Sidhar, 22, hailing from West Bengal; Aness, 24, and Sahfeeque, 25, of Valiyathazhathu at Padinharekkara at Tirur in Malappuram district. The officials also seized the car they were using to transport the contraband. Excise Department sources said that the accused were transporting the narcotic from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh to Tirur. The trio were arrested during a routine check. The narcotic was kept inside the speaker boxes of the car, the sources added. They were charged under various Sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act and would be produced before the NDPS Court at Vadakara in Kozhikode district on Friday. — Staff Reporter