John alias Srinivasan, a DMK councillor from Thoothukudi City’s Ward 18, was taken into custody by the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in connection with a smuggling operation involving areca nuts.
This arrest follows the DRI’s seizure of a container last December, acting on a tip-off about a group of individuals reportedly importing areca nuts by falsely declaring them as a different product.
Due to restrictions imposed by the Union Ministry of Commerce on importing areca nuts and the significant import duties levied on them, the DRI inspected a container declared as cashews. Upon opening it, they discovered 22 metric tonnes of areca nuts, valued at 1.25 crore.
In the subsequent days, four individuals were arrested, including two employees from a shipping company. Further inquiries linked John alias Srinivasan to the smuggling operation, leading to his arrest on Thursday. The investigation is still ongoing.
(With inputs from TOI)
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