In a sound warning to the drug peddlers, the Tiruppur District Rural Police have frozen bank accounts of 423 persons who were involved in sale of illicit drugs and tobacco products.
The District Superintendent of Police G. Shashank Sai told The Hindu, the police have arrested a total of 65 ganja peddlers and 430 gutka peddlers, in the past one year. As many as 424 bank accounts with ₹9,12,480 that were used for making transactions related to sale and purchase of drugs have been frozen.
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He also added that freezing bank accounts were done in addition to raising criminal proceedings against them under the sections of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act/The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, depending on the offence.
Illegal sale through petty shops
Most of the offenders were found to be running petty shops through which banned tobacco products were infiltrated in the district said Mr. Sai adding, the police department has planned to conduct joint raids with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), to find out the serial offenders and their shops would be sealed.
Earlier, the police found 45 kg of Ganja in a vegetable laden truck, on its way to Oddanchatram market. Upon investigation, the police found contraband were from the neighbouring states. The check posts and Police Stations at the district borders were asked to be vigilant to cracking down the smugglers, Mr. Sai added.
