THOOTHUKUDI: SIPCOT police on Friday seized over 1,200 kg turmeric rhizomes, packed in 24 gunny bags weighing nearly 50 kg each, at a private lorry booking office in Soreespuram.
The police detained the booking office owner P Manickavel and supervisor N Rajaram.
Sources said that the turmeric, procured from Erode district, was allegedly meant to be smuggled to Sri Lanka via sea on any of the boats from Vellapatti village.
The police handed over the turmeric consignment to the Food Safety and Drug Administration officials, and was sealed in a room by Food Safety Designated Officer Dr Mariappan.
Roughly ten days ago, the officials had sealed around 2,000 kg of illegally hoarded turmeric at the Thoothukudi Corporation.
Sources said that Sri Lanka’s recent ban on turmeric import to boost indigenous production had created a high demand, with the country’s production being very low.