more-in In a major drive carried out within the limits of Kochi Range by the police on Friday against the sale of tobacco products near educational institutions, 175 persons were arrested and 177 cases were registered. The drive witnessed 1,170 raids in which 570 packets of ‘Hans’, 1,836 packets of cigarettes, 2,290 packets and 20 bundles of bidis, 190 packets, 700 grams and three bundles of other tobacco products and 220 nitrazepam tablets were seized. The drive led by Kochi Range Inspector General of Police P. Vijayan covered Kochi city, Ernakulam Rural and Alappuzha, Kottayam and Idukki districts. Student Police Cadets, community police officers, district-level nodal officers, police inspectors, and station house officers participated in the drive. 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. Alappuzha witnessed 469 raids, 83 cases were registered, and 83 arrests were made; in Kottayam 234 raids were held, 20 cases were registered and 20 arrests were made and in Idukki 130 raids were conducted, 16 cases registered and 16 arrests were made. The raids were led by Commissioner M.P. Dinesh in Kochi city, A.V. George, SP, in Ernakulam Rural, V.A. Muhammed Rafeeq, SP, in Alappuzha; N. Ramachandran, SP, in Kottayam and K.B. Venugopal, SP, in Idukki.

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