Massive drug hunt in Kozhikode; 5 including woman held
MDMA and brown sugar worth Rs 20 lakh seized.
MDMA and brown sugar worth Rs 20 lakh seized.
MDMA and brown sugar worth Rs 20 lakh seized.
Kozhikode: In a massive drug bust in Kozhikode, the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) and Medical College police seized over 500 grams of MDMA and 47 grams of brown sugar in separate incidents on Tuesday. Five people, including a woman from Mangaluru, were arrested from different locations in the city over the past two days during the joint operation.
The accused, Shahida Banu (31), a native of Mangaluru, and her accomplice Faseer C (36) from Feroke in Kozhikode, were taken into custody from a lodge near the Government Medical College Hospital on Tuesday. A total of 245.6 grams of MDMA was seized from the duo. According to the police, the accused brought the drugs from Bengaluru. After arriving in Kozhikode's Kunnamangalam, they travelled to the Medical College Hospital premises in an autorickshaw.
In another drug bust, the Medical College police and the DANSAF team arrested two more individuals from prominent locations in the town. Jasem Althaf (22) was apprehended from Francis Road, Kuttichira, while CA Mohammed (29) was taken into custody from Thangals Road, on the premises of MIMS Hospital. The police confirmed that 330 grams of MDMA were seized from the duo.
Meanwhile, the DANSAF team arrested another man from the premises of Kozhikode railway station with 47 grams of brown sugar. The accused, Vaniyam Paramb Mujeeb Rahman (36), is a native of Beypore.
The market value of the MDMA seized from the four individuals is estimated at Rs 20 lakhs, said A. Umesh, the Assistant Commissioner of Police at Medical College.
The police and DANSAF launched a joint operation to trace narcotic dealers in light of the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations.
"We had received a tip-off about the drug flow into the district. It is learnt that dealers have been assigned to bring in large quantities of drugs ahead of the celebrations," added the official.
The operation was led by the DANSAF team under Assistant Commissioner KA Bose, along with Sub-Inspectors PT Saifullah and VR Arun from the Medical College police station.