In a major breakthrough, a joint operation led by the Thiruvananthapuram rural Dansaf team and Attingal police resulted in the arrest of three individuals, including a woman, for drug trafficking on Sunday morning in Attingal. The trio, identified as Sumesh, 29, from Perinkuzhy near Chirayinkeezhu, Jiffin, 29, from Channankara near Kadinamkulam, and Anju Baby, 32, from Pulappatta in Palakkad, were found in possession of 52 grams of MDMA, valued at approximately Rs 4 to Rs 5 lakh.
Anju, who was operating a spa in Kazhakkoottam, is believed to have been running the drug trade under the guise of her business. Sumesh, the key accused, has a history in the drug trade and had been arrested previously for a similar offense. Jiffin worked at a local lodge, where he distributed drugs to the lodgers.
The trio had procured the drugs from Bengaluru and were apprehended at the Attingal KSRTC stand. Based on intelligence gathered by the rural police chief KS Sudarshan, a secret surveillance operation was launched, leading to their capture. The drugs were concealed in plastic covers inside Anju’s bag.
During the operation, police also seized the mobile phones of the suspects, which will be sent for forensic examination to uncover further links to the drug trafficking network. Authorities are also analyzing the suspects’ call details to trace other possible associates.
The price of MDMA has reportedly increased due to the crackdown, with a gram now fetching Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000, compared to the earlier price of Rs 3,000. The operation, which was part of Operation D-Hunt, has created a significant shortage in the local drug supply.
The arrested individuals were remanded to court on charges under Section 22 (c) and 20 (b)(ii) A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. Authorities have vowed to continue their efforts in combatting the drug menace across the state.
The operation was spearheaded by PK Pradeep, the DSP of the rural narcotic cell, with the support of Attingal DSP Manjulal, station house officer Gopakumar G, sub-inspectors Jishnu, Fayaz F, Dileep B, and Biju Kumar.
