During the last one year the Excise Department in the state has been active in chasing contraband articles and seizing them. Adopting novel ideas, they have been able to arrest the traffic of liquor, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances to a good count. More than collection of revenue, certain officers in the department have been keen on putting enforcement duties also in prime positions. And they have been able to prevent the flow of liquor and intoxicating drugs into the state.
K K Anilkumar, Circle Inspector of the special squad of the Ernakulam range of Excise, who has been posted at Aluva, says that he and his team had always been alert on the way the illegal goods are smuggled into the state and sold here. Hooch trade has taken a back seat as the taste of the users are changing - more into consuming bottled, branded liquor. But Anilkumar says it is the psychotropic substances that have replaced everything so far been considered stimulating, and lots of stuff are coming to the market in spite of a close watch.
According to him smugglers are adopting innovative and sophisticated ways to transport goods, and the chances are that the whole process of enforcement is getting to be tough. The last scoop he did was catching 25 kilograms of dried ganja near Perumbavoor which has been one of the largest seizures.
The Excise officials often stood aghast at the ways the jobbers managed operations. Although on a tip-off, the squad watched for days the movement of a van supposedly carrying ganja. Anilkumar says it had been with great care a house at Kuruppampadi near Perumbavoor was kept under watch where the vehicle with the stuff was reported to arrive. The vehicle arrived, but it was of a different colour.
However, the squad surrounded it. There was one more vehicle with two number plates tossed inside. Anilkumar said with two vehicles and with two number plates jobbers could easily mislead anybody chasing them.
“What was unexpected was the way the stuff was hidden. The vehicle had at first nothing suspicious in sight. Checking at usual places ,seats and door sides, had also turned vain. It was then an artistically worked overhead upholstery came into notice. When the projection was pierced open what we could see was 25 kgs of ganja tucked inside in plastic bags of approximately 1 kg each. The stuff in the other vehicle was already sold. Both the vehicles could carry approximately 100 kgs of ganja,Anilkumar said.
When the smugglers are concurrent in techniques, how can the preventive officers afford to go less is the question disturbing all officers.
“Advanced weapons and communication equipment are what we need today,” says an officer who had been in the ganja grab. Why not a telephone number like 100 for the Excise Department too? “ If one out of 100 calls emerge genuine, the department is happy,” they say.
Comments
0 comment