Police seize 1,530 kg of beedi leaves near Uchipuli in Ramanathapuram

Marine Police near Uchipuli in Ramanathapuram seized 1,530 kg of beedi leaf bundles from a tractor here on Friday.

According to sources, the marine police received a tip-off that the beedi leaves were to be smuggled to Sri Lanka from the Pudumadam coastal area near Uchipuli through a boat.

Following this, the Pudumadam marine police monitored the coastal area for any suspicious movements. At that time, they noticed individuals unloading bundles from a tractor to load them into a boat anchored near the sea shore.

While the police tried to apprehend them, the suspects fled the scene, abandoning the tractor and the bundles, said police sources. Upon inspecting the unregistered tractor, police found and seized 1,530 kg of beedi leaves packed in 51 sacks.

Following preliminary investigation, the Marine Police handed over the seized tractor and the beedi leaves to the Customs Department in Ramanathapuram.