TIRUCHY: In September this year, the Crime Prevention and Detection Squad (CPDS) of the RPF busted an attempt in Puducherry to smuggle nearly 560 kg of banned tobacco products worth about Rs10 lakh through the railway parcel service. In November, the Southern Railway’s force seized Korean cigarettes estimated to be worth Rs 1.05 crore ferried through Tirur. The incidents over a span of three months have brought into the spotlight what may be loopholes in the parcel service network, particularly scanning of packages prior to transportation.
While Railway officials confirmed that it is not mandatory to scan the parcels sent through its network, they said the RPF is conducting regular checks to prevent the transportation of banned materials. Any suspicious-looking package is also opened at the time of booking, they added. Sources, however, admitted that it is not possible to check each parcel owing to the thousands the Railway receives in a day.
