TN: 44 beedi leaves bundles worth Rs 40 lakh seized in Thoothukudi

ANI
06 Mar 2026, 10:02 GMT+10

Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 6 (ANI): Q Branch Police seized 44 bundles of beedi leaves worth approximately 40 lakh near Thermal Nagar beach in Thoothukudi during the early hours of Friday, police said.

Police personnel conducted a patrol operation based on a secret tip-off received by Q Branch Inspector Vijay Anitha that beedi leaves were being smuggled to Sri Lanka from an area under the Thermal Nagar Police Station limits in Thoothukudi city subdivision of Thoothukudi district.

Following the information, Assistant Inspector Ramachandran, Special Assistant Inspector Ramar, Head Constables Irudhayarajkumar and Isakkimuthu, along with Constables Palani, Balamurugan and Pechi Raja, carried out the patrol duty in the area, according to a release.

At around 3.00 am today, they checked a suspicious van, which was parked about 200 meters away from the Thermal Nagar Police Station on the road leading to the Thermal Nagar beach.

Upon inspection, the police found 44 bundles of beedi leaves weighing around 30 kg each, which had been brought there to be smuggled to Sri Lanka by boat. The suspects reportedly fled from the spot after seeing the police.

The seized beedi leaf bundles and the vehicle are to be handed over to the Customs Department for further action. The international market value of the seized beedi leaves is estimated to be around 40 lakh.

Further investigation into the incident is underway. (ANI)

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Nepal National.

More Information

Business

Section

U.S. stock markets dive again on renewed Iran war concerns

NEW YORK, New York - With casualties soaring well past 1,000, the ever-expanding, seemingly out-of-control war against Iran, kept buyers...

Musk’s X, xAI to clear $17.5B debt, Bloomberg says

BASTROP, Texas: Elon Musk's social media platform X and artificial intelligence startup xAI plan to repay about US$17.5 billion in...

Ice cream lovers line up at Minnesota’s Moorhead Dairy Queen

MOORHEAD, Minnesota: It may be winter in Minnesota, with the temperature in the single digits, but for those queuing up outside the...

Regulator warns AI firms over age checks

SYDNEY, Australia: Australia's internet regulator has warned it could move against search engines and app stores that provide access...

U.S. stock markets post gains as attacks on Iran intensify

NEW YORK, New York - Wall Street delivered a surprising performance on Wednesday, with major indices closing firmly in positive territory...

Toyota raises offer to win Elliott support

TOKYO, Japan: Elliott Investment Management has agreed to tender its shares in forklift maker Toyota Industries after Toyota raised...

Southeast Asia

Section