It is believed that sludge from producing the films would have trace amounts of gold and silver, which would then accrue in the soil in certain parts of the factory where they were stored. One of the arrested men is Suresh, the branch secretary of the TVK from Ward 2 in Udhagamandalam.
The move comes after the arrest of four youngsters for collecting hallucinogenic mushrooms from the reserve forests in The Nilgiris district.