Thampanoor police arrested a 35-year-old man from West Bengal on Monday for possessing a large quantity of cannabis. The accused, Ratan Namdas, was apprehended near the Thampanoor bus stand following a tip-off, with assistance from Dansaf, the city’s rapid response crime prevention team.
Police officers, acting on suspicion, searched Namdas’ belongings and discovered 7.245 kilograms of cannabis. The contraband was divided into two packets, wrapped in brown masking tape, and hidden in his bag.
Namdas told authorities he arrived in Thampanoor by bus but gave no further information about the source or destination of the drugs. Investigators are now working to establish whether he was a small-scale dealer or acting as a courier for a larger network.
“We are probing whether he has any local contacts or if he was part of a larger supply chain,” said one officer. The seized cannabis has been sent for chemical analysis, and a case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Further arrests are likely as the investigation unfolds.
