Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 9 (IANS): Kerala's motor vehicle department seized 20 kg of ganja and hashish oil from a tourist bus that was coming to the state from Bengaluru. The driver of the bus Ananthu Nair, and two of his accomplices were arrested.

In the wake of the recent Wadakkanchery tourist bus accident in which nine persons including five children lost their lives, state's motor vehicle department has stepped up vigil and has been conducting searches in all tourist buses.

The motor vehicle department authorities, who searched the bus near Walayar in Palakkad district, told IANS that the driver has accepted that they were using the seized material while the bus was being parked during the daytime in Bengaluru. The motor vehicle department and police are probing whether the bus driver and his accomplices were bringing banned narco substances to the state from Bengaluru.

The police are also investigating whether the driver and his accomplices were acting as carriers to bring in ganja and other substances to the state.

While cracking down against narco substances including ganja and hashish oil and other drugs, the government has started a series of campaigns across the state among students against drug use.