(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –Trichy Police have arrested eight persons after they allegedly attempted to smuggle 256 kilograms of ganja worth Indian Rupees 25 lakh to Sri Lanka, in Nagapattinam District. Though the Nagapattinam Special Crime Branch Police made the arrests a week ago, they only divulged details on Tuesday, the Times of India reported.
The Police, who stepped up vigil against ganja smuggling in the district, netted the men after receiving an intelligence inputs on their operations in Nagapattinam. The Officers launched a search after receiving a call from an unknown source that a few men from Thanjavur have planned to smuggle ganja to Sri Lanka by sea.
A Police team carrying out vehicle inspection on the Thanjavur – Mannargudi Main Road at Vaduvur noticed a car approaching them in a suspicious manner. Smelling a rat, the Police intercepted them and started searching inside the car.
They found 256 kilograms of ganja wrapped in 56 packets. Further searches unearthed Indian Rupees 6 lakh cash hidden inside the car.
The Police seized the contraband and the money and arrested the carriers.
The arrested have been identified as Vedharanyam Agasthiampalli Vedhaiyan, alias Ravi, 50, Kodiyakarai Laxmanam, 36, Thopputhurai Rajagopal, 48, Usilampatti Palpandian, 33, Musiri Silambarasan, 26, Vijayakumar, 34, Coimbatore Gowndampalayam Sivankalai, 36 and Mahendran of the same area.
