Thiruvananthapuram: The cyber wing of the Kerala Police has developed new software to counter the drug mafia operations through the Dark Web.

The software named Grapnel has been introduced to curb drug trafficking which has been making deep inroads into even rural pockets of Kerala with the help of newfound technologies, including the Dark Web.

Shockingly, the transaction of about 60 parcel packets of "new generation drugs", which were seized recently after they reached the foreign post office in Kochi, took place through the Dark Web.

Since the transactions are carried out using bitcoins, the source from which the money is pumped for the Dark Web operations is unidentifiable, making it a haven for drug mafia operators.

Moreover, the operations on the Dark Web are executed with the precise use of up-to-date technology. Separate code languages are used for keeping the secrecy of the operations.

The police in the recent past have been effectively countering the sale and spread of child pornography videos through the Dark Web. But taking into account the gravity of the illicit drug sale through the Dark Web, the Cyberdome has now developed this software.

(Cyberdome is the technological research and development centre of the Kerala Police.)

According to ADGP Manoj Abraham, who is in charge of Cyberdome, those who are specialised in manning the software have been appointed. Such software is already being used by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

Dark web

Dark Web is a special layer on the Internet which cannot be accessed by ordinary cyber users.

It is operated using anonymous web browsers. Even the computers on which such browsers work will not be able to identify the presence of the Dark Web.

Illicit transactions worth crores of rupees by way of drug trafficking, arms trafficking and sale of child pornography videos are taking place on the Dark Web regularly.