The Q Branch police have seized ₹20-lakh-worth 2,400 kg beedi leaves even as they were about to be smuggled from a coastal area close to Kayalpattinam near Tiruchendur to Sri Lanka in the early hours of Monday.
Sources in the Q Branch said patrolling along the east coast road between Tiruchendur and Thoothukudi was intensified on Sunday night following information about smuggling of beedi leaves to Sri Lanka.
When the Q Branch police, led by Inspector Vijaya Anita, reached Odaikkarai near Kaayalpattinam around 3.30 a.m., they spotted an anchored fibreglass boat.
As the police team surrounded the boat, they nabbed A. Antony Durai, 52, of Terespuram in Thoothukudi. The police also seized 2,400 kg beedi leaves packed in plastic bags. Efforts are on to nab the associates of Antony Durai, who had planned to smuggle the beedi leaves to Sri Lanka. Further investigations are on.
Published - April 22, 2024 06:47 pm IST
