MADURAI: Three men including a BJP councilor were arrested in Tenkasi district on Thursday after being charged with smuggling tobacco products. The accused have been identified as M Ajay Sathish (24) from Keela Chettikulam village, Sathankulam taluk, Thoothukudi district, J Kirubakaran (35) of the same locality and K. Shenbagarajan (31) of Sunnambuvilai street, Sengottai. He’s the councilor of 24th ward from Sengottai municipality, sources said.

When a team of police from Sengottai was engaged in checking vehicles at Puliyarai check post, they intercepted a suspicious vehicle and found tobacco products that weighed 1,263 kilos.

All those tobacco products stuffed in 72 bags inside the vehicle were seized. The seized ones are worth Rs 10,17,750, sources said. Based on a complaint, the Sengottai police have filed a case under COTPA.