Overview

• Excise enforcement teams intercepted a goods van and a car during checks at Paloncha in Kothagudem district on Thursday, seizing the contraband and weapons.
• Officials recovered one pistol, five revolvers, 40 live rounds, 12 empty magazines, two vehicles and Rs 35,500 in cash, with the ganja valued at about Rs 53 lakh.
• The arrested are Bilal VS of Ernakulam, Shyam Sundar of Tiruchirappalli and Kasinandan Santosh, while another accused, James of Tiruchirappalli, is absconding.
• Investigators say the ganja was sourced from Odisha for transport toward markets in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, indicating an inter-state trafficking network.
• The seized firearms were handed to Paloncha police for a separate probe into their origins, and the three accused were produced in court and sent to judicial remand.