Excise arrests Wayanad man who planted ganja in son’s shop following family feud

Mananthavady: The Excise Department arrested Puthanthara Veettil Abubacker, a native of Chettappalam, on Thursday evening for hiding 2.095 kg of ganja in his son’s shop to settle a family dispute. The arrest followed a tip-off Mananthavady Excise Inspector Sujith Chandran received via mobile phone call.

The ganja was seized on September 6, when the excise team raided PA Banana Agencies. Cannabis was concealed among sacks. Initial suspicion fell on the shop owner PA Noufal. However, further investigation revealed that the contraband was planted in the shop while Noufal was away for midday prayers at the mosque.

CCTV footage later identified the perpetrator as Jinse, an auto driver in the town. During interrogation, Jinse confessed that he had acted on Abubacker’s instructions due to a family feud. Noufal was subsequently released on bail.

Abubacker had enlisted the help of two accomplices—Kollasseriyil Jinse Varghese, 31, and Outha, a real estate agent—to frame his son. The trio sourced the ganja from Coorg in Karnataka through a labourer and planted it in Noufal’s shop while he was away.

By the time excise officials turned their attention to Abubacker, he had fled to Coorg, frequently changing locations for over two months to avoid arrest. He was eventually apprehended and produced before the Additional Sessions Court in Kalpetta, where he was remanded to judicial custody. The court granted anticipatory bail to Outha, citing his health condition.