
KOCHI: In a major narcotics bust under Operation Clean Perumbavoor, the Ernakulam Rural police on Wednesday arrested a migrant worker with 9 kg of ganja intended for distribution among college students, residents and migrant workers.
Rabeen Mandal, 24, of Raipur in Murshidabad, West Bengal, was apprehended by a team led by Perumbavoor ASP Shakthi Singh Arya. The arrest came after a college student, Rabeen’s customer, disclosed details about the supplier.
“The raid was conducted in a Bengali colony, where the cannabis was found hidden in secret compartments in a room,” said an officer with the squad. Preliminary probe revealed Rabeen was a key figure in the local drug network, he said.
Operating under the alias ‘Robin Bhai’, Rabeen allegedly sold ganja in small packets for Rs 500 each. Having arrived in Kerala a year ago, he worked in Thiruvananthapuram before moving to Perumbavoor, where he lived in Bhai Colony. He worked at a hotel before shifting to drug trade.