more-in The Prohibition Enforcement Wing (PEW) of the district police has arrested a conductor and driver belonging to the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) on charges of trafficking liquor bottles from Puducherry. The wing also seized more than 470 liquor bottles after arresting six people in separate raids. On being informed that liquor bottles were being smuggled from Karaikal and nearby areas in Puducherry to the district in government and private buses, a special PEW team, led by Additional Superintendent of Police (ADSP) S. Vellaidurai conducted a surprise inspection on Tuesday morning at the new bus stand here and caught the conductor and driver red-handed. The conductor was caught as he was getting down from a TNSTC bus, plying between Chidambaram and Mudukulathur, via Ramanathapuram, carrying a bag, which contained 52 liquor bottles. The conductor, identified as U. Govindaraj, 48, told the police that a temple festival was going on in his village and he had purchased the bottles for his friends. Mr. Vellaidurai, however, said the conductor had procured the bottles from Karaikal. The team also arrested the driver, A. Salman Khan, 41. Both were arrested under section 4 (1) A of Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act and were remanded in judicial custody. At a raid at Vedhalai, near Mandapam, Mr. Vellaidurai and his team seized 417 liquor bottles after arresting two persons on charges of selling the bottles illegally. Taking advantage of the closure of liquor shops on Gandhi Jayanthi, the accused had purchased the bottles in bulk from liquor shops and were selling them at higher rates. In another raid at Kadugusandai Chathiram on the East Coast Road, the team seized about 60 bottles from four shops – two bunk shops, a restaurant and a chicken shop and arrested the shop owners on charges of illegally selling liquor bottles. Mr. Vellaidurai locked the shops and suggested that the district administration cancel the licences of the four shops.

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