KOCHI: The law enforcement agencies usually take all the available routes to detect offences. Sometimes they have to use tricks on the spot to nab the perpetrators. Playing street smart is one way, proves the excise sleuths who managed to catch two masterminds of a drug racket that supplied narcotics to the city.
Last Wednesday, an excise team managed to seize a 58kg ganja consignment brought in by two carriers from the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border. Acting on a tip-off from the state excise enforcement squad, they tracked down the car ferrying ganja and took the carriers — Beemapally native Sajeer and Chullimanoor native Jasim — into custody.
The excise enforcement squad has been tracking Sajeer’s activities for some time due to his past involvement in drug peddling. They followed the digital leads of the cops and came to know that he was in Andhra Pradesh to procure drugs. Though the vehicle was intercepted at Poonkulam near Kovalam and the contraband was seized, the excise sleuths knew the two were mere carriers and the masterminds were operating under anonymity.
They found that the car was being monitored via GPS by the masterminds. And since the vehicle was caught way off the main road, the intended route, that could be noticed via the GPS, the officers knew the others would contact the carriers to check what went wrong. The officers arm-twisted Sajeer and Jasim to call and tell them they ran out of petrol and had to pull over the vehicle.
The trap worked as the masterminds agreed to come to the spot to pick them up. To avoid suspicion, the sleuths manning the area stood off the road. A few minutes later, two men — Mujeeb and Rafi, residents of Beemapally — arrived at the spot and were easily overpowered.
Though Mujeeb and Rafi regularly supplied drugs brought from other states to the city, the sleuths were unaware of their activities. An excise officer said it was for the first time that the identity of the two was revealed to them.“They have been in the business for some time, but successfully managed to stay off our radar,” said the officer.
“The duo effectively used their carriers and paid them paltry amounts and a small quantity of drug for personal consumption as remuneration on successfully smuggling in the contraband. They operated behind the screen and thrived in anonymity. This is the first time they have been caught,” the officer added.
Case diary
This weekly column brings you exciting, intriguing police stories, straight from the crime files