Mangaluru (Karnataka) | Karnataka police seized 1,220 Kerala lottery tickets valued at approximately Rs 72,000 that were being transported for illegal resale, officials said on Tuesday.

They were seized by law enforcement personnel, who intercepted a vehicle carrying the tickets on a route from Bandadka in neighbouring Kerala towards Karnataka, police sources said.

According to police, the accused had allegedly purchased the lottery tickets across the Kerala border and was moving them to Sampaje for resale at marked-up prices, officials said.

The practice of transporting and selling lottery tickets from Kerala is banned under the Karnataka Lottery Prohibition Act, and authorities said the seizure was part of ongoing efforts to crack down on the illegal lottery trade.

The police detained the person found in possession of the tickets during checks conducted as part of regular surveillance near border areas and a case has been registered at the local police station, officials added.

Police noted that despite the state government's ban on lottery sales, Kerala State lottery tickets are often smuggled into Karnataka for unlawful resale, particularly in villages and towns along the Kerala-Karnataka border. Enforcement agencies have stepped up vigilance in recent months to curb the circulation of such tickets.

The arrested individual is likely to be charged under relevant sections of the Karnataka Lottery and Prize Competitions Control and Tax Act. Further investigation is underway, police said.