29th September 2021 18:47:17 Hours
Troops under command to the 54 Division with the support of Intelligence troops and Policemen in the past couple of weeks have apprehended a record 1522 kgs of smuggled raw turmeric, worth about Rs 10 mn and about 600 liters of illicit liquor, in addition to their arrest of illegally-mined sand stocks and suspects.
Of those turmeric recoveries, 548 kgs were arrested on 07, 15 and 22 September 2021 at roadblocks on the Mannar Bridge and at Kunchchikulam area along Mannar-Medawachchiya road. A stock of 974 kgs of turmeric were recovered separately on 17 and 23 September 2021 during search operations, based on information, given by sources close to the coastal belt.
Moreover, two tractors, engaged in illegal sand mining were arrested separately on 11 and 20 September while illicit liquor recoveries were made by dominating patrols on 22 September from their respective areas. Raw turmeric stocks, thus smuggled from India across Talai Mannar through fishermen find way to the markets at exorbitant prices.
Troops under command to the 54 Division on the directions of the GOC have been very active in curbing illegal activities in the Mannar District in a bid to stop smuggle of those contraband into the island including Kerala Cannabis.
