Kochi: A consignment of 51.75 kg of ganja, estimated to be worth ₹25.88 lakh, was seized after being abandoned at Palakkad Junction railway station during a Customs-led operation on Thursday.

The seizure was by officers of the Cochin Customs Preventive Unit, Palakkad, Customs Preventive Division, Thrissur, with the assistance of the Railway Protection Force (RPF).

Customs officials had received intelligence about the movement of narcotics on passenger trains bound for Kerala through Palakkad, a major railway transit point into the state. Acting on the information, the officials maintained surveillance at the railway station, including its platforms and transit areas.

During the operation, the team noticed five backpacks left unattended on a platform after several trains had departed. Enquiries among passengers and railway platform personnel indicated that the bags had apparently been abandoned.

With the assistance of the Palakkad RPF, Customs officers took custody of the backpacks and examined them. The inspection led to the recovery of 25 packets of ganja, with five packets packed inside each of the five bags.

Each packet weighed around 2 kg. The ganja had been packed in green polythene covers and tightly wrapped in several layers of brown adhesive tape. Such packing is commonly used in narcotics transportation to contain the smell of the contraband and make detection more difficult.

The total quantity seized was 51.75 kg, along with the five backpacks used to transport the consignment.

Customs officials suspect that the bags were abandoned after those transporting the contraband noticed the surveillance operation or feared interception. Further investigation is underway to establish where the consignment originated and identify its intended recipients in Kerala.