Kochi: Three men were arrested with over 12kg of ganja in separate cases on Monday, as police intensified their crackdown on drug trafficking in the region.
First Seizure in Nettoor
Kochi city police arrested two individuals, including a native of Odisha, with 8.32kg of ganja. The arrested were identified as Bheema Naik, 51, of Ganjam, Odisha, and Inosh, 28, of Kannadikad in Maradu. Acting on a tip-off received by city commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar, the Kochi city Dansaf team, led by narcotic cell assistant commissioner T D Sunilkumar, conducted a raid in the Nettoor area, leading to the seizure.
According to police, Naik brought the ganja from Odisha to Ernakulam by train and then transported it to Nettoor by autorickshaw. They were arrested when Inosh arrived to purchase ganja from Naik. Police are investigating the source of the ganja supply from other states.
Second Seizure in Perumbavoor
Meanwhile, the Ernakulam rural district Dansaf team and Perumbavoor police arrested a West Bengal native with four kilograms of ganja. The arrested person has been identified as Intaj Sheikh, 36, of Murshidabad. The ganja was seized from his rented house in the Thandekkad area of Perumbavoor. He told police that the contraband was brought from Murshidabad. The raid was conducted based on a tip-off received by district police chief K S Sudarshan.
Rising Seizures in Rural District
So far this year, police have seized over 380kg of ganja in the rural district. Two weeks ago, police seized over 35kg of ganja. On May 20, three men were caught with 25kg of ganja while travelling in an autorickshaw at Thottakkattukara. On the same day, three others were arrested with 10kg of ganja from Desam.
Heightened Vigilance
Police have tightened vigil at railway stations and bus stations as more migrant workers are expected to return from West Bengal and Assam following elections. Police suspect that rackets may try to use this as a cover to smuggle drugs.
