Daijiworld Media Network - Kasargod
Kasargod, Jan 13: Four individuals, including two women, were arrested by the Kasargod Police after they intercepted an SUV traveling from Bengaluru and reportedly seized 100 grams of MDMA, a banned psychoactive drug, from the vehicle.
The Adhur police identified the accused as Mohammed Sahad (26), a resident of Mastikundu in Muliyar gram panchayat; Shanavas P M (42) and his wife Shareefa (40) from Vidyanagar in Kasargod; and Shanavas’s sister Shuhaiba P M (38) from Chattanchal in Chemnad panchayat. The SUV used for the transport was also impounded.
According to the police, Shuhaiba was traveling with her two-year-old child, likely in an attempt to pose as a family and avoid suspicion.
An officer from the Adhur station revealed that Sahad, who operates juice shops in Kochi and Bengaluru, had been arrested earlier in connection with MDMA possession. The other three are first-time offenders. The women claimed ignorance about the drugs found in the car. "Their claim is under investigation," said the officer.
As per the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, possession of over 10 grams of MDMA is considered a commercial quantity, carrying a penalty of 10 to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and fines ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh upon conviction.
Acting on a tip-off, police were alerted to a white Grand Vitara suspected of transporting drugs. The vehicle was spotted on the Jalsoor-Cherkala State Highway. Attempting to evade the police, the suspects diverted onto the Iriyanni road near Kottur, but the officers had anticipated this and intercepted them at Manjakkal. A search revealed the MDMA concealed in Sahad’s pocket.
The accused were presented before a magistrate court and remanded to judicial custody.