Punjab link emerges in 2.46 kg MDMA seizures in Mangaluru, Kasaragod; seven arrested

Kasaragod: An investigation that began with the arrest of a 26-year-old man with less than 2 gm of MDMA in Kumbla has led to the seizure of 2.46 kg of MDMA worth over ₹2 crore in Mangaluru and Kasaragod and the arrest of seven people, five of them from Kasaragod district. Police said the two consignments were sourced from Punjab and are probing whether the two drug trafficking networks are connected.

On October 1, Kasaragod's Kumbla police arrested Mohammed Ansad (26) of Shiriya and seized 1.8 gm of MDMA and ₹2.97 lakh in cash from him. Police suspected the money to be proceeds from drug sales.

Acting on information that drugs were being delivered to Mangaluru through courier services, police in Kasaragod contacted their counterparts in Mangaluru city.

A subsequent operation led to the seizure of 1.8 kg of MDMA within the limits of Ullal police station Thursday night, and the arrest of three men, one of them from Kasaragod district. The Mangaluru City Crime Branch (CCB) arrested three people near DMart at Kumbla around 10 pm on October 8.

Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy valued the seizure at ₹1.58 crore, or around ₹8,792 per gram.

The accused were identified as Abdul Hafeel (25) of Mangalpady panchayat in Kasaragod district, and Zia-ul-Haq (30) and Altaf (28), both from Mangaluru.

According to the police, the accused had procured the MDMA from Amritsar in Punjab and concealed it inside the water storage compartment of a water purifier, and got it couriered to Mangaluru. Reddy said they had allegedly planned to sell the drug in Mangaluru and in Kerala. Apart from the drug, police seized three mobile phones, a Maruti Suzuki Swift car, an autorickshaw, and the water purifier from the accused.

Two more arrested in Nileshwar
Meanwhile, in Kasaragod, police seized 665.67 gm of MDMA from two men who arrived by train at Nileshwar on Thursday. Going by the valuation of Mangaluru police, this could be worth another ₹58 lakh.

The arrested men were identified as Ahmed Rukshad P H (33) and Abdul Hameed B (30), both from Prathap Nagar in Sonkal in Mangalpady panchayat. Nileshwar police intercepted them near the railway station after receiving a tip-off that two men carrying narcotics had alighted from the Mangla Express coming from Delhi.

The two had planned to get off at Kasaragod railway station but changed their plans after spotting police personnel on the platform. They got off at Nileshwar, the next stop, but were intercepted by the police.

The MDMA was concealed in a plastic cover inside a T-shirt in Rukshad's bag. Police also seized ₹28,530 from him, while a digital weighing scale and a UPI QR code card were found in Hameed's bag. Their mobile phones, passports and other identity documents were also seized.

During questioning, the two reportedly told the police that they had bought the drugs in Punjab.

On Friday, October 9, Nileshwar police arrested two more men, Noushad Ali (40) and Yusuf Afsal (35), both from Prathap Nagar in Sonkal. They had allegedly arrived to pick up Rukshad and Hameed from Nileshwar railway station. They were arrested from a car parked beneath the Nileshwar railway overbridge.

The four accused were produced before the Hosdurg court and remanded in judicial custody. They were booked for possessing a commercial quantity of MDMA under Sections 22 (c), 29 and 8 (c) of the NDPS Act. Inspector Prashanth K is leading the further investigation.