THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The excise probe into the seizure of hybrid ganja worth Rs 2 crore from Alappuzha has revealed that the case has wider ramifications, as the main culprits are connected to rackets involved in gold, sex, and drug trafficking.
Tasleema Sultana, alias Cristina, and an accomplice were arrested on April 2 after they were found in possession of 3 kg of hybrid ganja a substance more expensive than synthetic drugs such as MDMA.
Her husband, Sultan Akbar Ali, was arrested a week later after it was discovered that he was actively involved in the operation. Highly placed sources said the Excise Department is likely to recommend handing over the case to other agencies with the mandate to probe such multifaceted allegations.
The extent of the couple’s links to criminal cartels became apparent after Sultan, a native of Tamil Nadu, was apprehended. It was revealed that, posing as a dealer of electronic gadgets, he frequently travelled to countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, where he used his connections with gold and drug traffickers to carry out illegal activities. Sources indicated that he had also been involved in gold smuggling, and that some of his visits to Malaysia were intended to procure hybrid ganja.
To erase his travel history, Sultan reportedly obtained duplicate passports three times by falsely claiming his previous ones had been lost. He was found to have travelled to Malaysia seven times, and on at least two occasions, returned using either a short-term passport or an emergency certificate.
Sources further stated that the couple’s financial transactions appeared suspicious.
“From his mobile phone, we found that he had received large sums as much as Rs 90 lakh. However, he claims to have only one bank account, which has been inactive for a long time. We suspect that the ill-gotten money might have been invested in other countries such as the UAE,” said one source.
Excise officials added that more individuals some possibly of Kerala origin are suspected to be involved in the case.