Kochi: With the arrest of the key dealers who supplied ganja to Kalamassery Government Polytechnic College, the police have launched an extensive investigation to identify those who mobilized funds for purchasing the substance and financed the illegal trade. Officials are also examining whether these dealers distributed ganja on other college campuses.

According to the police, Aehinta Mandal, who was arrested on Wednesday, was a wholesale dealer of ganja and operated an extensive distribution network using migrant workers. The racket sourced ganja from states like West Bengal, Odisha, and Assam, with Mandal employing migrant workers on a daily wage of ₹1,000 to distribute the substance. Sohail Shaik, who was arrested alongside him, was one such retail distributor.

Further investigations revealed that Aehinta Mandal sourced ganja from Deepu Mandal, who was apprehended from Nedumbassery recently.

The illicit trade functioned on a highly profitable scale. Ganja was procured from Odisha at ₹3,000 per kilogram and then trafficked to Kerala, where it was sold for ₹15,000 to ₹18,000 per kilogram. The earnings were funnelled into Mandal’s bank account. Students at the polytechnic reportedly purchased ganja consignments at ₹18,000 per kilogram.

During interrogation, students arrested in connection with the case admitted to smuggling ganja onto the polytechnic campus five times through Sohail Shaik.

The police tracked down and arrested the key figures behind this operation in a high-risk mission led by a special team comprising Inspector M.B. Latheef, Sub-Inspectors Sebastian P. Chacko and Ranjith, along with Special Operations Group members Mahin Aboobacker and Shibu.