Police Officer Accused of Stealing 12,000 Packets of Hans From Station; Absconding After Theft

Wayanad: A police officer has been accused of stealing seven sacks of banned tobacco products seized by the Bathery police and kept at the station as part of Operation Toofan. Senior Civil Police Officer (Grade) Sabith, attached to the station, has been accused of stealing the Hans packets. Police have registered an FIR against him, and he has reportedly been absconding since the theft came to light.

Around 12,000 packets of Hans were allegedly removed from the station in seven sacks.

On June 7, the Bathery police and the district anti-narcotics squad seized seven sacks of Hans and 1,800 packets of another substance from a godown belonging to Isakh at Moorkanparambu in Dottappankulam, Bathery.

The seized contraband was produced before the Bathery court, which directed that the case property be kept in the storage room of the police station. The key to the storage room was kept in the assistant writer's office.

The missing of contraband was discovered on Thursday when the station writer opened the storage room for cleaning. The disappearance of seized narcotic and banned tobacco products from a police station has caused major embarrassment for the police and the Home Department.