CHENNAI: The Tambaram City police arrested four history-sheeters who allegedly smuggled narcotic tablets from Mumbai and sold them to youngsters in the Chennai suburbs.

They seized 420 tablets from the accused.

Following intelligence inputs that a group from Chennai suburbs was procuring narcotic tablets from Mumbai for distribution here, a special team launched an intensive probe.

The team monitored suspects' mobile phone activity and found they were reaching Chennai by train. As the suspects realised they were being tracked, they got down at Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh and travelled by car via Vellore and Poonamallee to reach Mudichur.

The suspects were then hiding near a burial ground in Kadapperi and sold the narcotics to youths when the special team surrounded and arrested them.

The accused were identified as Sakthivel (26) of St Thomas Mount, Manoj Kumar (26) of Perumbakkam, Ranjith Kumar (25) of Mannivakkam and Ruben (20) of Kadapperi.

Police said all four have several criminal cases pending against them and recovered 420 narcotic tablets, syringes used to dissolve and inject powdered tablets, a fake pistol, machetes and six mobile phones.

It was found that the gang used courier services earlier to bring in tablets from Mumbai and then changed their modus operandi when police intensified action against drug trafficking via courier.

The four accused were produced before the Tambaram court and remanded in judicial custody.