21 held for selling tobacco to students in raids near Kerala schools

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the schools reopened after summer vacation, it’s not just academics that the teachers and parents have to take care of. The rackets running illegal sale of tobacco products always find school children as easy target and parents and teachers have to be extra vigilant to tackle the issue. The City Police, however, has come forward to address the menace by launching raids across the city. On Saturday, they raided shops operating in the vicinity of schools and arrested 21, including five women, for selling tobacco products to students.

Codenamed ‘Operation Chew’, raids were held at Nalanchira, Parottukonam, Nemom, Pachaloor, Nedumcadu, Pottakuzhy and Ambalathara. The five women who were arrested have been engaged in selling tobacco products to students and their clientele included very young students as well, police sources said. Hundreds of cigarette packets were seized from them.

At the General Hospital, a 42-year-old man was arrested for selling  tobacco products to students, while similar arrests were reported from Kazhakuttom and Thumba. City Police commissioner P Prakash said the raids were launched to protect the students from falling into the clutches of the rackets that thrive by selling banned tobacco products near schools. “Though the sale of tobacco and related products near schools is prohibited, there were many who were engaged in the business. The raids were against such shop owners who make profit by imperilling lives of young students,” he said.The commissioner said the students who start using tobacco products at a very young age are susceptible to drugs and other severe narcotics.