After a hot pursuit, the Virudhunagar district police arrested four persons from Kerala and seized 120 kg of ganja that was being smuggled to Thiruvananthapuram from Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.
Acting on a tip-off that ganja was being smuggled in two cars, a team of police, led by Virudhunagar Superintendent of Police R. Srinivasa Perumal, kept a watch on Madurai-Tirunelveli highway. The first car would pass through important junctions and alert their partners travelling in another car in which ganja was being transported. The first car, after seeing the police near Sattur, made a U-turn. The police tracked the vehicle with the help of mobile phone signal and found it parked near a tea stall.
A team of police, led by Additional Superintendent of Police, Ashokan, and Deputy Superintendent of Police (Virudhunagar), Pavithra, nabbed two persons who were identified as Sankar Ram, 43, and Roshan, 27.
Investigation revealed that the other car took a different route and had gone to Rajapalayam. However, seeing the police team there, the car turned towards Srivilliputtur. Even as the police chased the car, two persons abandoned the vehicle and escaped. The police traced them with the help of a drone and arrested the two. They were identified as Ajith and Srikanth, Mr. Perumal said. Initial probe has revealed that the contraband was being smuggled from Andhra Pradesh to Kerala.
Tobacco seized
Meanwhile, the district police on Saturday seized ₹12 lakh worth banned tobacco products at Rajapalayam.
The Superintendent of Police said that a team of police from Rajapalayam North police found 51 bags of gutka products in an SUV while checking vehicles. The police arrested Mohammed Abdul Salem, 31, of Assam and Sethan Singh, 28, of Rajasthan.
