Nikhila C, the 32-year-old bullet-loving drug peddler, who infamously became the first woman to be placed under preventive detention in Kerala, worked with her boyfriend to build business, excise officials said. Out on bail for illegal drug sale, she found an ideal ally in Muhammed Shanif, a Kannur native. Shanif faces multiple criminal and ganja-related cases. 

Booked under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act in 2024, he was barred from entering Kannur. When the going got tough, he shifted to Bengaluru, where he thrived in the narcotics trade. He also faces a long-pending excise case and an active warrant. Nikhila, who also carried a history of notorious cases related to narcotics sales, hooked up with Shanif, rented a flat in Madivala, and their trade flourished. 

A native of Mullakkodi in Payyannur, Nikhila was arrested in 2023 with 2 kg of ganja and again in February 2025 when the Payyannur Excise team seized 4 grams of methamphetamine from her while she was transporting it from Bengaluru to Kerala. Released on bail in July, she soon returned to peddling, this time avoiding Kerala and operating entirely from Karnataka, along with Shanif.

Excise officials said the duo targeted wholesale buyers from Kasaragod, Kannur, and Kozhikode, supplying them with synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine and MDMA, along with ganja sourced from Bengaluru. These buyers then distributed the substances to individual users in Kerala. Both of them had avoided trips to Kerala to sell drugs. Instead, they regrouped old contacts.

“She was called ‘Bullet Lady’ because she used to travel on motorbikes. Though she stopped visiting Kerala after her recent arrest, she retained strong contacts. Some of her former suppliers have now become her customers,” an excise officer said.

With Nikhila basing her operations in Bengaluru, the Excise team had a hard time tracking her. Eventually, the officials traced Nikhila’s mobile phone to Madivala, a known hub of narcotics trade in Bengaluru. With support from the Karnataka State Crime Bureau and Madivala police, they located her apartment through one of her frequent local contacts.

“It was a crowded area and difficult to zero in on the exact flat. Finally, a water supplier to the building confirmed it. We reached around 11 am and took her into custody without resistance. Shanif was simultaneously booked by Madivala police in another narcotics case,” an officer said.

Officials believe the couple began as users before turning to supply. “Drug use is expensive, and many become peddlers when they can’t afford it. Nikhila’s extensive travel also helped her build networks,” an official added.

Nikhila was picked up on Tuesday under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act, 1988. 

C K Satheesh Kumar, Deputy Excise Commissioner, Kannur, said Nikhila’s preventive detention was necessitated by her repeated offences. “She is a frequent offender and committed the same crime even while being on bail,” he said.

After our proposal, the Home Department issued the detention order, which was reviewed and ratified by a board of three retired High Court judges. Usually detention extends up to a year, but can be prolonged to two years in exceptional cases,” said an excise official. Nikhila was shifted to the Attakkulangara Women’s Jail on Thursday.

The arrest was carried out by a team led by Taliparamba Excise Circle Inspector Satheesh S, with Preventive Officer Vinod (Payyannur Range), Civil Excise Officers Jesna P Clemens and Sreya Murali, driver Ajith C V, and support from the police anti-terror squad.