Malappuram: A 23-year-old woman social media influencer is among four people arrested by the Malappuram police in connection with an alleged MDMA drug trafficking network operating in the Vengara and Mankada areas of the district.

The arrested were Minu Jasmin, 23, a native of Koottilangadi; Anas, 24, of Malappuram; Shabeer TP, 24, from Mankada; and Sajad, 21, a native of Kooriyad.

According to the police, the arrests were made during a late night operation on the Kizhakkethala–Vengara Road in Malappuram town, based on a confidential tip-off. The inspection was conducted as part of Operation Toofan by the Malappuram police and the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF).

Police said the accused were involved in selling MDMA to students and young people in the Vengara and Mankada areas. They were taken into custody while moving around in a car.

The police seized 10.5 grams of MDMA, estimated to be worth around ₹50,000 in the retail market, along with syringes allegedly used to inject the drug, a digital weighing scale, packets of zip-lock covers believed to be used for packaging the substance, and nearly ₹25,000 suspected to have been collected through drug sales. The car used for the drug trade was also seized by the police.

Police stated that Anas, Shabeer and Sajjad had previously been booked in MDMA cases at various police stations.

The arrests were made by a team led by DySP of Malappuram, Subhash Babu, with Malappuram Police Inspector Shajimon B and Sub-Inspector Sanal among those involved in the operation.