Kochi:
An Assam man and a woman from West Bengal were arrested in Kerala's Perumbavoor on Tuesday for allegedly running a ganja distribution operation while posing as a married couple to avoid suspicion.
The accused have been identified as Dulal Uddin (21), son of Ismail Ali from Dhubri in Assam, and Mahmuda Khatun (22), a native of Elbar Nagar in Basantpur, West Bengal.
An Excise team led by Kunnathunad Excise Circle Inspector Manoj Kumar raided their rented accommodation at Allapra in Perumbavoor following a tip-off.
During the search, officials recovered 4 kg of ganja stored in two packets inside their room, along with Rs 1,19,600 in cash, suspected to be proceeds from drug sales.
According to Excise officials, the two had been living together as husband and wife in a migrant workers' residential quarters located away from the main road. Investigators suspect that posing as a married couple was a deliberate attempt to avoid suspicion while carrying out the illegal trade.
The accused had rented the room just a month ago.
Excise officials said the ganja was allegedly brought to Kerala primarily for sale among migrant workers in the Perumbavoor area, which has a significant migrant labour population.
Investigators suspect that the accused procured ganja for around Rs 20,000 per kilogram and sold it for as much as Rs 1 lakh per kilogram, nearly five times the purchase price.
However, officials believe the seizure may be part of a larger drug trafficking operation.
Excise Suspects Larger Drug Supply Network
Speaking to NDTV, Kunnathunad Excise Circle Inspector Manoj Kumar said the department had received information suggesting that the accused may have brought larger quantities of cannabis into Kerala.
"We arrested two individuals with 4 kg of cannabis from a migrant workers' quarters in Allapra. They were living together as a married couple. During the inspection, we recovered the cannabis stored in two packets inside their room," Manoj Kumar said.
He confirmed that the accused had moved into the rented accommodation only a month ago.
"We have information that they may have brought in larger quantities. We are investigating who supplied the cannabis to them and where they were staying before moving into this room. The investigation is progressing in that direction," he added.
The case was registered on Tuesday.
Excise officials are now trying to trace the source of the seized drugs, establish the accused's previous movements and determine whether other individuals were involved in the alleged trafficking network.
Investigators are also examining whether the two had been distributing ganja in the region before moving into their current accommodation.