Koratty (Thrissur), October 23 — Police seized 11 tonnes of banned tobacco products worth Rs 3 crore (yaani about Rs 300 lakh) from a lorry at Koratty and arrested two men during Operation Toofan, Thrissur Rural police said. The lorry carrying the concealed consignment was intercepted at Koratty while it was proceeding towards Ernakulam, The Hindu and News Darpan reported.

Source: News Darpan

The seizure was made during a vehicle inspection on the national highway as part of Operation Toofan. Police recovered 3,76,500 packets of banned tobacco products hidden beneath a consignment of onions in the lorry. The products were packed in 502 sacks, each containing 750 packets, and the seized material weighed nearly 11 tonnes with an estimated retail value of around Rs 3 crore. The lorry was also taken into custody.

Source: News Darpan

The arrests followed a joint operation by the Thrissur Rural District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) and the Koratty police, acting on a tip-off. The operation was conducted under the direction of Thrissur Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Narayanan T. and Thrissur Rural District Police Chief Mohammed Nadeem, with a team led by Chalakudy Deputy Superintendent of Police J. Kuriachos and Narcotics Cell Deputy Superintendent of Police S. Pradeep intercepting the lorry.

According to police, the consignment was allegedly being transported from Bengaluru to Kalady in Ernakulam district for distribution in central Kerala. The arrested men have been identified by police as Telson Babu, 36, of Keezhpally, and Saib, 33, of Aralam, both in Kannur district. They are accused of transporting the banned products; the allegations are yet to be proven in court.

Police said surveillance on national highways and border roads had been intensified under Operation Toofan. The seizure is considered one of the biggest recent hauls of banned tobacco products in central Kerala, and further investigation is under way.