By Express News Service KOCHI: Fire broke out at a stationery godown near the Ernakulam South railway station on Monday destroying several pens, notebooks and other items. The timely intervention of fire officials prevented the fire to spread to nearby buildings. The flames were brought under control after nearly one-and-a-half hours. The second floor of A3 Associates at Chooreparambil lane, Monastery Road, Karikkamuri, caught fire around 11.30am. Employees of nearby offices spotted the fire first and alerted the staff of A3 Associates. Soon, nine fire engine units from Gandhi Nagar, Club Road, Eloor, Tripunithura, Thrikkakara and Aluva converged at the area to douse the flames. Short circuit is assumed to be the reason for the blaze which gutted pens, papers, notebooks, crayons and ink cartridges stored in the godown. Employees of A3 Associates said stationery items worth `50 lakh were stored. However, fire force officials are yet to calculate the exact loss.Regional fire officer K K Shiju, district fire officer A S Joji, Tripunithura station officer K Shaji and Club Road assistant station officer S Suresh led the fire-fighting efforts. Man held with illegal currency worth F12.04L Kochi: Officials with the Central Industrial Security Force seized foreign currency worth `12.04 lakh from a passenger bound for Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia at Kochi airport on Sunday. The passenger, a 39-year-old Malappuram native, was intercepted with $16,700, 420 Hong Kong Dollars, 100 Oman Baisa and 1 Oman Riyal, besides seven iPhones. The man had arrived at the airport around 10.30am. He had concealed the currency in his baggage and the socks he was wearing.

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