Sulthan Bathery: Three men and a 16-year-old boy were taken into custody after police seized 51.350 grams of MDMA during a late-night vehicle inspection at the Muthanga check post in Wayanad on Saturday.

The operation was carried out jointly by the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) and the Sulthan Bathery police as part of the ongoing anti-drug campaign, Toofan.

The accused have been identified as B Vishnu (30), a native of Maniyamkode near Kalpetta; Muhammed Ansil of Pazheri, Kuppadi, near Sulthan Bathery; C S Amal (33) of Narokkadavu, Vellamunda; and a 16-year-old boy.

According to the police, the group was travelling in a car that entered Kerala after the Muthanga check post had been closed for night traffic. The occupants reportedly appeared nervous when they noticed the police team conducting routine vehicle inspections, prompting officers to carry out a detailed search.

During the inspection, police recovered 51.350 grams of MDMA concealed inside the dhoti worn by Vishnu. Preliminary investigations revealed that Amal had allegedly procured the contraband from Gundlupet in neighbouring Karnataka and handed it over to the group before they crossed into Kerala.

The three adult accused were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Sulthan Bathery, which remanded them to judicial custody on Sunday. Proceedings against the minor will be conducted before the Juvenile Justice Board under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

The operation was led by Sulthan Bathery Station Sub-Inspector K Sreethu, assisted by Assistant Sub-Inspector Ajikumar, Civil Police Officers Suresh Babu and Raju, and members of the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force.

Police said further investigations are under way to identify the source of the narcotics and determine whether the accused are linked to a larger inter-state drug trafficking network.