Kozhikode: The Vadakara Excise officials on Saturday arrested a 62-year-old man from Ernakulam who was allegedly distributing ganja among train passengers. The accused, Dineshan Kannammuri of Vazhakkala, Ernakulam, was nabbed near the Sri Venugopala temple at Azhiyur during a routine patrol led by Circle Inspector V R Hirosh. He was initially found carrying 115 grams of ganja. A total of 5.95 kg of ganja and over ₹2.26 lakh were later recovered from his residence.

Excise officials said Dineshan had alighted from the train at Mahe railway station and was heading to Azhiyur for distribution when he was intercepted. “He was doing his 'business' on trains, with contacts at various stations. We had caught him three months back with a small quantity of ganja at Vadakara railway station. This time, a routine check led to a bigger catch,” Assistant Excise Inspector G Pramod Pulikkool told Onmanorama.

During questioning, Dineshan received a call from a relative who talked about his wife in Pulikkal. A subsequent raid at his house in Pulikkal, Malappuram, yielded nearly 6 kg of ganja and cash. Officials said they learned of the house only after the phone call. While the accused claimed he sourced the contraband from Theni in Tamil Nadu, excise officials suspect a wider network and have launched an investigation into his contacts.