Routes for youths to earn big money in Kanjikode

PALAKKAD: Youths standing beside their motorbikes at byroads in the Kanjikode area would pass off as a gang whiling away time. But, none would suspect that these frolicking  young men would earn between Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 a day.For, they are part of the relay team which sees to it that a lorry from Tamil Nadu which reaches the border is safely escorted to the Coimbatore-Palakkad National Highway evading  the checkpost. The lorries or the tempo travellers will be either transporting groceries and provisions or illicit spirit.The only difference is that while it is bike-borne youths who  pilot the lorries transporting provisions and groceries,   those escorting spirit vehicles travel mostly in cars.“There are a large number of byroutes into Kerala, including  the ones at Chandrapuram, Chittur sub division, Velanthavalam and Kozhinjampara, which help avoid the checkpost. The   advent of the People’s Planning programme has helped widen  these byroads and the lorries can pass through them without obstruction”, says an official with the Commercial Tax  Intelligence Wing. The modus operandi of the gang is thus.Two bike-borne youth  stand on the roadsides awaiting the lorry. One person escorts the vehicle for five km after which the other takes over. They pass on the information about the presence of any  vehicle or Commercial Tax or Excise Department officials on the road and ensure the safe passage of the vehicle. The fee  charged ranges from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 a day.“The entry tax for chickens is 12.5 per cent and for provisions and groceries 4 per cent. If a lorry with Rs 1 lakh-worth chicken can evade the checkpost they can save upto Rs 12,500. Hence, they do not mind shelling a percentage of it to those who pilot the vehicle,” the official said.He added that the stakes were even higher in the case of  spirit which is being illegally transported to the state. Same is the case of natural rubber which is taken out of the  state on the sly.“Since the tax rate is 12.5 per cent for rubber, the tax works out to more than Rs 1 lakh for a load. If a lorry load of rubber is seized by the Commercial Tax authorities, they  levy a penalty of Rs 5 lakh. Hence, those who smuggle rubber outside the state are influential people, “another official of the Commercial Taxes Department said.Authorities to strengthen vigilThe Commercial Taxes official said the department had special  squads to check such fraud. Four such squads are deployed usually. The strength has been increased to 16 during the Onam season.“Those who escort the illicit spirit consignments travel mostly in four wheelers. On most occasions, they are hard to detect since they would just be standing on the roadsides among the crowd and passing on information about our movement. However, last November we could nab three youths from Kollengode who were escorting a vehicle carrying spirit. The youths were booked for conspiracy after examining their  mobile call details. Their vehicle was also seized,” said Excise (intelligence) preventive officer Shoukath Ali.Ali said there were taluk squads, border units, highway task forces and control rooms to monitor the movement of illicit spirit.