Kochi: A total of 175 persons were arrested and 177 cases lodged on Friday in a special drive carried out by the cops with the help of student police cadets against the sale of tobacco products near schools in five police districts. The drive, carried out on the direction of the Ernakulam Range Inspector General, was carried out in Ernakulam City, Ernakulam Rural, Alapuzha, Kottayam and Idukki districts. “The arrested accused will be charged with Section 77 of the Juvenile justice act, under which they face a jail term of seven years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. So far the offenders in such cases used to get away with minor penalties,” said IG P. Vijayan.
The major exercise saw a total of 1,170 raids being conducted. The seized materials include 570 packets of Hans, 1836 packets of cigarattes and 220 Nitrozepam tablets among others. In Kochi city, 59 raids were conducted, 14 cases were registered, and 14 arrests were made while in Ernakulam Rural the numbers were 278, 48, and 44 respectively. The special drive is part of the plan designed by the IG to maintain the law and order in the range, said police officials.
