Kalpetta: A special team of Wayanad police nabbed R. Raveesh Kumar (28), a wanted criminal in multiple narcotics cases, from New Delhi on November 26. The accused, from Alappuzha, had moved to New Delhi to evade arrest. 

According to a communiqué issued by SP Taposh Basumatari, the District Anti-Narcotics Squad and the Tirunelli police arrested the accused in a joint operation at Raju Park in South Delhi in the early hours of Wednesday. The Delhi police also extended full support to the Kerala police during the complex operation.

Raveesh, a native of Kareekulangara in Alappuzha was wanted in a case involving the smuggling of 265.55 grams of methamphetamine in July 2024, in which K Muhammed Sabir (31) was arrested. Sabir's interrogation revealed the role of Raveesh, who had supplied the drugs. A key operative of a narcotics cartel, Raveesh had earlier been arrested from his secret hideout in Bengaluru in February 2025. A court here had sentenced him to imprisonment in this case. However, he secured bail for 10 days in connection with his marriage. After being released from the prison, he went absconding in July.

Police were shocked that he secured bail easily and went missing again, as feared. There was considerable protest within the police force over the release of notorious criminals like Raveesh, who reportedly have overseas underworld links. However, calculated and meticulous efforts helped the police bring the accused back behind bars.

Weeks-long planning
By monitoring the mobile phones of Raveesh’s close contacts, police learned that he had escaped to New Delhi and had re-established contact with the narcotics cartel. A special team was then deployed in Khanpur to shadow him. After many days of surveillance, the team located the house where he was hiding.

When the Wayanad police team, aided by the Delhi Police, surrounded the area, Raveesh attempted to escape by climbing across rooftops in a residential locality. In a cinematic chase through the buildings, the police finally took him into custody.

Software engineer turned drug peddler
A software engineer turned drug trafficker, Raveesh had abandoned his job in a software company and joined a drug racket to make quick money. What began as a part-time involvement soon grew into full-time trafficking after he lost his job. 

With a well-knit network in Karnataka and almost all districts of North Kerala—including Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Malappuram—Raveesh soon became an essential player in the drug-peddling network of South India.

Fluent in English, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam, he was known among peddlers by the nicknames “Ottan” and “Dropesh.” Police had also kept all his regular contacts under surveillance, and many of them are currently absconding.

SP Taposh Basumatari said that strict surveillance continues along the border zones, and vehicle inspections at inter-state checkposts are being carried out regularly. 

“During systematic vehicle checking and surveillance operations, police have seized MDMA worth lakhs over the last few days,” he said.