Railway police officials of the Salem sub-division with the seized ganja from trains in Tamil Nadu.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.
In the past nine months, as of September 23, the railway police in Salem sub-division seized over 2,400 kg of ganja and gutkha in trains and arrested 32 persons in connection with the smuggling.
The Salem sub-division consists of Salem, Dharmapuri, Hosur (Krishnagiri district), Jolarpettai (Tirupattur district) and Katpadi (Vellore district) railway stations. To prevent smuggling of ganja and gutkha via trains, the Salem sub-division railway police have increased inspections on trains. Trains heading to Kerala from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are checked in particular as they are considered important connecting points for smuggling ganja.
Special teams were deployed to inspect trains on a daily basis, with an average of 10 trains checked per day. With increased inspections, people smuggling ganja or gutkha abandon bags near train toilets, creating difficulty in tracing the accused while seizing the contraband in many cases.
From January 1, 2026, to September 23, 2026, the Salem sub-division railway police seized a total of 1,207.27 kg of ganja (466.55 kg in Salem, 12 kg in Dharmapuri, 1.4 kg in Hosur, 489.22 kg in Jolarpettai and 238.10 kg in Katpadi). The police arrested 26 persons in connection with the smuggling.
Likewise, 1,266.94 kg of gutkha was seized in the past nine months, including 645.67 kg in Salem, 38.50 kg in Dharmapuri, 142.07 kg in Hosur, 304 kg in Jolarpettai, and 136.70 kg in Katpadi, and the police made six arrests.
Similarly, in the past nine months, the railway police seized 3,305 kg of public distribution system (PDS) rice, including 1,405 kg in Jolarpettai and 1,900 kg in Katpadi railway station, and the police arrested two persons.
The railway police officials said in the past 48 days, 649.27 kg of ganja and 1,153.94 kg of gutkha were seized. Compared with the first seven months, a large amount of ganja and gutkha was seized in the last one-and-a-half months due to the round-the-clock inspections conducted by the police. These checks will be increased in coming days to completely eradicate drug smuggling on trains, officials added.
Published – September 29, 2026 07:36 pm IST
