KANHANGAD: Officials of the Mooliyar panchayat here have closed down a fruit and vegetable shop for selling banned tobacco products. During an excise inspection, banned tobacco producted were seized from this shop. The panchayat then cancelled the shop's license.

Based on a complaint received at the range office, the Badiyadukka excise team seized 3 kg of prohibited tobacco products from this shop on April 2 and 2.9 kg of tobacco products on June 1. Then the Range Inspector gave a letter to the Panchayat Secretary to cancel the license of the shop.

Recently, an individual named Sharaful Islam Sheikh (42), a native of Murshidabad's Domkal in West Bengal, who sold ganja under the cover of a vegetable shop in Thandekkad in Perumbavoor, was arrested with 3 kg of ganja, a weighing scales and Rs 36,500. The accused, who was under surveillance, was arrested by a special squad led by Perumbavoor ASP. It was brought from Bengal by train at Rs 9,000 per kg and sold in separate packages. This was sold here at Rs 30,000.