Two held with 697 gm MDMA brought to Kasaragod from Punjab

Kasaragod: Two men who identify themselves as comrades on social media and run pro-Left pages and WhatsApp groups have been arrested with 697 grams of MDMA worth around ₹25 lakh, allegedly brought from Punjab by train, police said.

The arrested men have been identified as Ahmed Rukshad (33) and Abdul Hameed (30), both natives of Sonkal near Uppala in Mangalpady panchayat.

The two identify themselves as comrades on their social-media profiles and are associated with pro-Left pages and WhatsApp groups. Their alleged political affiliation, however, has not been officially confirmed by police.

Police suspect that Rukshad and Hameed are part of a network involved in bringing large quantities of MDMA from Punjab and distributing it in Kasaragod.

The accused arrived at Nileshwar railway station on Mangla Express around noon on Thursday. Acting on a tip-off, a police team intercepted them near the station. The MDMA was found inside a bag carried by the accused during a search, police said. The seized drug is estimated to be worth around ₹25 lakh in the market, police said.

The haul was detected during a special operation launched on the directions of district police chief Nidhinraj P. The operation was jointly conducted by the district police chief's DANSAF team and Nileshwar police under the supervision of ASP Achyuth Ashok and Kanhangad DySP Anilkumar.

The DANSAF team had been monitoring the accused following information that a consignment of drugs was being brought from Punjab by train. The police identified the two as soon as they got off at Nileshwar station, followed them and intercepted them near the station.

The investigation has been expanded to trace the network involved in transporting drugs from Punjab to Kasaragod.