Kasaragod: The investigation into the seizure of 139.29 grams of MDMA from a group of Youth Congress workers has expanded into an interstate drug network, with Kasaragod police arresting two more alleged key links in the case.

Riya Khan (31), who allegedly operated under the alias Sathi Sheikh in Bengaluru, was arrested from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh while in hiding. Ghanaian national Victor Dzaba was taken into custody from Kollam district prison, where he was being held as an undertrial.

With the latest arrests, the number of people arrested in the Chandera case has risen to seven.

Police said Riya Khan, a native of Lambha in Ahmedabad, had recently moved to Narendrapur in West Bengal's Howrah district. She allegedly went into hiding after learning that Kerala Police were looking for her. She was subsequently traced to Gwalior and arrested by the special investigation team, which included Hosdurg Sub-Inspector Neethu Thachanchery.

Investigators alleged that Riya supplied MDMA to the accused arrested in Chandera and was a key intermediary in the drug network operating outside Kerala. Police also suspect that she was linked to a Nigerian drug network based in Bengaluru.

The latest arrest follows the detention of Muhammad Sabir K (33), a native of Parappally near Ambalathara in Kasaragod district, on August 19. Police have described Sabir as a key figure in the interstate network and alleged that he sourced narcotics from Bengaluru and Delhi.

The police had taken the five accused arrested earlier into custody for questioning. Information obtained during the interrogation allegedly helped investigators trace Riya Khan.

Police had also identified a financial trail involving Riya. According to reports, the accused had transferred around ₹49 lakh to her bank account over two months.

Victor taken into custody from Kollam
The other latest arrest is that of Victor Dzaba, a Ghanaian national whom police describe as a key figure in Kerala's MDMA network.

The Chandera investigation team took him into custody from Kollam.

Victor had earlier been arrested in connection with an MDMA case registered at Nadakkavu police station in Kozhikode. According to the case records, he was linked to Kiran Sasidharan (36), who was caught with 57.63 grams of MDMA near Kozhikode KSRTC bus stand on November 28, 2022.

He is also an accused in a separate case registered at Kottiyam police station in connection with a case of vandalism at Kottiyam Transit Home on January 25, 2026.

According to the complaint, Victor and three other foreign remand prisoners allegedly created a disturbance after a Nigerian national brought from Poojappura Central Jail was not admitted to the transit home.

The accused allegedly obstructed security personnel, threatened them, spat on the security chief officer, Social Welfare Department, Kollam, and damaged public property worth around ₹10,000.

From Youth Congress workers to an interstate network
The case initially drew political attention because three of the first four accused were linked to the Youth Congress.

The first accused, Abdul Salam P A, the second accused, Muhammad Hussain K H and the third accused, Abbas P A, are Youth Congress workers from Arakkappady in Ernakulam. Hussain was the president of the Youth Congress Vengola panchayat 142 booth committee.

The fourth accused, Sainulabdeen E S, was subsequently arrested and was described by police as being associated with Sabir.

The political controversy intensified after photographs and videos of Abdul Salam with Chief Minister V D Satheesan circulated on social media. Satheesan acknowledged that he knew Salam and Hussain and had visited Salam after he was attacked during the Nava Kerala March. He denied allegations that the accused had handled his social media accounts.

The accused, meanwhile, have denied wrongdoing. When produced before the Kasaragod Sessions Court on August 20, Salam alleged that he had been called to a homestay in Payyannur and framed. Hussain also denied having committed any wrongdoing.

The subsequent arrest of Sabir, followed by the arrests of Riya and Victor, has widened the investigation from the Ernakulam-based accused to an alleged supply chain extending beyond Kerala.

Probe widens
The seizure of 139.29 grams of MDMA was made on August 9 from a vehicle intercepted at Kalikkadavu on the Kasaragod-Kannur border.

A 17-member special investigation team led by Kanhangad DySP Anil Kumar M V, under the supervision of District Police Chief Nidhinraj P, is conducting the investigation.

Police said the latest arrests have helped them trace the source of the alleged drug supply. The investigation is now focused on identifying additional members of the network, establishing the financial trail and determining the extent of its interstate and international links.

Those arrested

• Abdul Salam P A (27), Arakkappady village, Ernakulam
• Muhammad Hussain K H (28), Arakkappady village, Ernakulam
• Abbas P A (50), Arakkappady village, Ernakulam
• Sainulabdeen E S (42), Arakkappady, Ernakulam
• Muhammad Sabir K 33, Parappally, Kasaragod
• Riya Khan (31), Ahmedabad
• Victor Dzaba, Ghana