KOZHIKODE: Two police officers attached to the Kottakkal police station in Malappuram have been arrested and suspended from service pending inquiry for allegedly selling banned tobacco products which were seized by the police.
The arrested are ASI Racheendran hailing from Kozhikode and senior civil police officer Saji Alexander hailing from Kollam. Malappuram district police chief Sujith Das S has suspended the two officers pending inquiry.
Kottakkal police had on April 21 seized banned tobacco products worth Rs 20 lakh and arrested two Valanchery natives in connection with the case. Around 48,000 packet of hans packed in 32 sacks were seized along with a minivan in which it was being brought from Coimbatore.
The arrested as well as the seized tobacco products were produced before the court and later as part of case proceedings the vehicle was released and the court had directed to destroy the seized tobacco products. But the two police officers allegedly sold the seized tobacco products to the accused in the tobacco seizure case for Rs 1.5 lakh. Kottakkal police had registered the case after the seized product were found missing.
