In a well-coordinated operation, the Thiruvananthapuram Rural Dansaf team and Attingal police arrested three individuals—including a woman operating a spa—for smuggling 52 grams of MDMA, valued between Rs4 to Rs5 lakh.
The accused were identified as:
Sumesh (29) from Perinkuzhy, Chirayinkeezhu (key accused with prior drug case)
Jiffin (29) from Channankara, Kadinamkulam (lodge worker and distributor)
Anju Baby (32) from Pulappatta, Palakkad (spa owner operating drug business under its cover)
According to police, Anju ran a spa in Kazhakkoottam, which served as a front for drug trafficking. Sumesh, a repeat offender, sourced MDMA from Bengaluru, while Jiffin helped distribute it to customers renting rooms in the city.
They were arrested at the Attingal KSRTC bus stand early Sunday after a covert surveillance operation launched on a tip-off from Rural Police Chief KS Sudarshan. The drug was hidden inside plastic covers in Anju’s handbag.
The mobile phones of all three accused have been seized and will undergo forensic analysis to trace the wider network involved. Authorities are also reviewing call logs to identify further links to the Bengaluru-based supply chain.
Operation D-Hunt, which has been targeting drug rackets in the region, has led to a shortage in narcotics, causing prices to surge. MDMA, once sold at Rs3,000 per gram, is now fetching Rs5,000 to Rs6,000 due to increasing demand, said DSP PK Pradeep, who led the operation.
The accused were booked under Sections 22(c) and 20(b)(ii)A of the NDPS Act and remanded after appearing in court.
Key officers involved in the bust included Attingal DSP Manjulal, SHO Gopakumar G, SI Jishnu, and Dansaf sub-inspectors Fayaz F, Dileep B, and Biju Kumar.
