Railway Police seize over 1,000 kg banned tobacco substances in the last eight months

The slew of seizures of banned tobacco substances made at various railway stations by the Government Railway Police (GRP), Tiruchi in its vast jurisdiction is an indication of the persisting offence.

In the latest incident, a GRP team seized a little over 26 kilograms of gutkha that was found concealed in an abandoned sack and a shoulder bag placed below a seat inside a general coach of the Hazrat Nizamuddin – Kanyakumari superfast express after the train reached the Tiruchi railway junction on the night of September 22. 

Interestingly, a GRP team had seized about 31 kg of banned tobacco substances kept in three shoulder bags placed below a seat inside the general coach of the same inter-State train a few days earlier. In both instances, there were no claimants for the contraband which made its way into the State illegally. In yet another instance reported early this month, a GRP team had seized 21 kg of banned gutkha from a general compartment of the Hyderabad – Kanyakumari express train after it arrived at the Tiruchi railway junction. There was no claimant for the consignment.

The GRP, Tiruchi has a huge jurisdiction covering Tiruchi, Madurai and Tirunelveli sub divisions.  According to data provided by the GRP, the railway police teams had seized a little over 1,220 kilograms of gutkha at various stations falling under the three sub divisions from January to August this year. 

The seizures were made at Tiruchi, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Thoothukudi, Karaikudi and Thanjavur stations among others in the last eight months of this year. Maximum seizure of 471 kilograms of gutkha was made at Virudhunagar followed by 209 kg in Madurai and 119 kg in Tirunelveli, according to the data. Thirty four persons including three women were named as accused in this connection.

A senior GRP officer said seizures have been made both on board trains and on railway platforms based on specific information and while conducting random checks. Dedicated teams have been constituted in the GRP to keep an eye on the illegal movement of such contraband and initiate appropriate action.

The banned tobacco products have been found to be illegally transported through various modes such as freight carriers and buses besides trains.  The tobacco substances are brought from other States into Tamil Nadu by inter-State express trains which come from different northern and eastern destinations in the country, says a Food Safety and Drug Administration department official.

In Tamil Nadu, there is a ban on manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of gutkha, pan masala containing tobacco and nicotine as ingredients. Hence, these substances are illegally transported into Tamil Nadu from other States where it is not banned for unauthorised sale here, say officials.

Knowing the pattern that inter-state express trains are under scanner, some of the accused bring the contraband from other States and alight at Chennai and board a intra-state train in a bid to avoid detection, says the GRP officer adding that information regarding the seizure is immediately conveyed to the jurisdictional local police and the Food Safety Department for initiating appropriate action and disposal of the confiscated substances. The GRP was working in close coordination with the Railway Protection Force and continuing its efforts to mount surveillance at railway stations in an effort to check illegal movement of the contraband, said the officer.