Mangaluru : The Vitla police arrested Jalaluddin (30) of Salethoor village in Bantwal for alleged illegal possession of 850 g of cannabis. The police apprehended him near Salethoor village while he was reportedly moving in an autorickshaw with the banned narcotic substance.

The police said that they were tipped off about Jalaluddin coming to Salethoor with a load of cannabis from Uppala in Kerala. A team of policemen stopped the autorickshaw at Kattattila near Salethoor and arrested him. The police said that the accused had been brining cannabis from Uppala and selling it in Salethoor, Kudtamugeru, Madakatte and Bolantooru. He had been arrested by Konaje police a few months ago. The police recovered 850 g of cannabis worth Rs. 7,000. They also seized the autorickshaw he was riding.

This was the fourth case registered by the Dakshina Kannada police under the Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances Act in this year. They registered eight cases in 2015 and six each in 2014 and 2013. Superintendent of Police Bhushan Gulabrao Borase said that they were collecting information about those possessing and selling ganja in the district.