<p>Two days after claiming to have busted a drug trafficking racket of methamphetamine (crystal meth) worth Rs 3.2 crore on trains, the South Western Railway (SWR) backtracked on Monday, stating that the seized material was in fact menthol.</p>.<p>On Saturday, the SWR claimed that police from its Railway Protection Force (RPF), Bengaluru division, had nabbed a person the previous evening carrying the banned narcotics worth Rs 3.2 crore.</p>.<p>The person allegedly tried to escape from Prasanthi Express at Hindupur when RPF personnel nabbed him.</p>.<p>On Monday, the SWR issued a clarification stating that after the seizure, samples were sent to the lab where the tests proved that the seized material was not a narcotic substance.</p>.<p>“The lab report has confirmed that the seized material is not methamphetamine but menthol crystals, which are an exact look-alike,” a release from the railways said.</p>.<p>The railways blamed the accused person for the mistake.</p>.<p>“The suspect who had been carrying the material stealthily on board the train had claimed in his statement that it was methamphetamine and worth around Rs 3 crore,” it said, adding that further investigation is underway.</p>
<p>Two days after claiming to have busted a drug trafficking racket of methamphetamine (crystal meth) worth Rs 3.2 crore on trains, the South Western Railway (SWR) backtracked on Monday, stating that the seized material was in fact menthol.</p>.<p>On Saturday, the SWR claimed that police from its Railway Protection Force (RPF), Bengaluru division, had nabbed a person the previous evening carrying the banned narcotics worth Rs 3.2 crore.</p>.<p>The person allegedly tried to escape from Prasanthi Express at Hindupur when RPF personnel nabbed him.</p>.<p>On Monday, the SWR issued a clarification stating that after the seizure, samples were sent to the lab where the tests proved that the seized material was not a narcotic substance.</p>.<p>“The lab report has confirmed that the seized material is not methamphetamine but menthol crystals, which are an exact look-alike,” a release from the railways said.</p>.<p>The railways blamed the accused person for the mistake.</p>.<p>“The suspect who had been carrying the material stealthily on board the train had claimed in his statement that it was methamphetamine and worth around Rs 3 crore,” it said, adding that further investigation is underway.</p>
