KOCHI: Even after few incidents of drug smuggling were reported within the online food delivery network in the state, the action to prevent such incidents in future is facing delay. The Excise department which had asked the online companies to submit details of the employees including the delivery executives several weeks ago is yet to receive the details from the companies.
According to a senior excise officer, only one company had given the complete details of the delivery executives after the department had issued a warning notice. “The details have been handed over to the sub offices in the district. But we are yet to receive the details from others,” the officer said. “However, we will wait few more days for them to submit all the details we have asked. If they are not willing to give, strict actions will be followed.”
The department had earlier issued a warning notice to the companies following the delay in submitting the details of the employees. They had asked to submit the details of the delivery executives including their name, address and phone number and also the details of their offices and office staffs in the district and directed all the delivery executives to register with the respective Excise range offices.
Meanwhile, they had also instructed the delivery executives to possess identity cards as per the registration with the department.
Two incidents were reported in the district in which ganja and hashish, both around 500 grams, were seized from two persons in two different cases. The first incident was almost a month ago. An online food delivery executive fled without stopping after called to stop by the excise sleuths during a vehicle inspection near Kalamukku here. During the chase, they saw him throw a parcel away, from which the sleuths recovered ganja.
In the second incident hashish was seized from a youth, who was using the mobile phone and vehicle of his friend who is registered with a food delivery company.
