Arrest, seizure and search without warrant

Subject to such restrictions as the State Government may prescribe, any of the following persons, namely: (1) any officer employed in Excise, Police, Salt, or Customs Departments not below such rank as the State Government may prescribe, (2) within such area as the State Government may, by notification, direct, such officers as may be specified in such notification, (3) any other person duly empowered, and (4) in any public place, any Excise or Police officer, may: (a) arrest without warrant any person found committing an offence punishable under section 53 or section 54; (b) seize, detain and carry away any excisable or other article which he has reason to believe to be liable to confiscation under this Act, or any other law for the time being in force relating to the excise revenue, and any document or to the article which he has reason to believe may furnish evidence of the commission of an offence punishable under this Act or under the Indian Opium Act, 1878 (1 of 1878) or under the Dangerous Drugs Act, 1930 (11 of 1930), and (c) detain and search any person upon whom and any vessel, raft, vehicle, animal, package, receptacle, or covering in or upon which he may have reasonable cause to suspect any such article to be.