44 kg ganja seized in Kalady, 3 migrant workers arrested
According to police, the gang had procured the ganja from Odisha and smuggled it into Kerala in a car fitted with a secret chamber.
According to police, the gang had procured the ganja from Odisha and smuggled it into Kerala in a car fitted with a secret chamber.
According to police, the gang had procured the ganja from Odisha and smuggled it into Kerala in a car fitted with a secret chamber.
Kalady: A major ganja haul was reported in Kalady on Saturday after police arrested three migrant workers with 44 kilograms of the contraband. The accused — Rafiqul Islam (40), Abdul Kudus (21), and Sahin Mandal (26) — all hail from Murshidabad, West Bengal.
The arrest was carried out at Manickamangalam by a special investigation team led by Perumbavoor ASP, based on a tip-off received by Ernakulam Rural SP M Hemalatha.
According to police, the gang had procured the ganja from Odisha and smuggled it into Kerala in a car fitted with a secret chamber. To evade checks, they replaced the Odisha registration plate with a Kerala number after crossing Andhra Pradesh. The contraband, bought in Odisha for about ₹2,000 per kg, was being sold in Kerala for nearly ₹27,000 per kg.
Rafiqul Islam, identified as the prime accused, has been in Kerala for over two decades. Once a daily wage worker, he later shifted to labour supply before entering the ganja trade. In 2012, he served 28 days in jail in connection with an assault case at Kothamangalam. Police believe he is a key figure in the interstate ganja network. Earlier this month, Kodanad police had seized a car and ganja linked to him.