The Karaikal district police have seized over 300 kilograms of ganja and arrested five individuals, including two Sri Lankan nationals, in connection with a cross-border and inter-state drug smuggling network, Indian media reported.
The crackdown was carried out under “Operation Vidiyal,” an initiative aimed at eliminating narcotics from the district, according to The Hindu.
Acting on intelligence inputs, a police team led by Inspector R. Mari Christian Paul intercepted a vehicle on 15th of July and arrested Dileep (38) of Mannargudi and Kumaravel (44) of Nallathur, recovering 26 kg of ganja from their vehicle.
Follow-up investigations led to the recovery of 304 kg of ganja from a house in Keezhakasakudi, reportedly supplied by Kishore Kumar (37) of Ambur, who was arrested on 17th of July Four vehicles believed to have been used for drug transport were also seized.
On 23rd of July police intercepted a boat near Emerald Beach and arrested two Sri Lankan nationals—Selvakumar (41) from Jaffna and Hayath Mohammed Rasu (33) from Trincomalee. Authorities seized the boat and three mobile phones.
All suspects have been charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the Foreigners Act, and relevant passport and immigration regulations. The operation was supervised by Superintendent of Police Subramanian, with assistance from DIG Sathya Sundaram and SSP M.V.N.V. Lakshmi Soujanya.
