Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Police arrested 38-year-old Shafiqul Islam in Angamaly on July 16. The arrest comes as part of the anti-drug initiative dubbed Operation Toofan. A special team led by Ernakulam District Police Chief K.S. Sudarshan took the Assam native into custody. He was the alleged mastermind behind a major heroin trafficking network.
The bust followed the seizure of 609 grams of heroin from three migrant workers in Angamaly. The drugs were stashed inside soap boxes and pouches within secret car compartments. The trio brought the load all the way from Assam. Officials say Islam, known as "Dada" among local peddlers, moved to Kerala ten years ago. He used a scrap business as a front for his illegal operation.
He lived well. His bank accounts showed transactions worth lakhs of rupees. He flew often between Kochi and Assam and used multiple rentals in Ernakulam district to dodge police. Perumbavoor served as his primary hub. Police raided a house there and found hundreds of empty bottles intended for repackaging the drugs. Islam bought heroin in Assam for 30,000 rupees and sold it for up to 1 lakh rupees in Kerala. Small bottles went for 1,000 rupees each. Investigators are now hunting the rest of the interstate supply chain.
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