Railway law enforcement agencies crack down on drug peddlers as pre-poll surveillance intensifies

Suspected narcotic substances worth nearly ₹1.5 crore have been confiscated by Railway law enforcement agencies in the Thiruvananthapuram division alone so far this year, with agencies intensifying anti-drug operations ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. Data on drug seizures by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and other agencies between January and the first week of March indicate that the Railways remain a key route for narcotic trafficking, mainly ganja.

During the period, agencies seized 206.13 kg of suspected ganja from rail passengers, valued at over ₹1 crore. The agencies also confiscated 13.6 kg of suspected hashish worth ₹40 lakh.

The data shows a spike in seizures in February compared to the previous month with the agencies intercepting attempts to smuggle 145.40 kg of suspected ganja in the second month as against 29.44 kg in January. While only five cases were detected in January the figure doubled to 10 in February. The upward trend seems to be continuing in March with seizure of 31.29 kg of suspected ganja in four cases within the first seven days.

The cases were reported between Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur railway stations, with most from Ernakulam Junction and Ernakulam Town, RPF sources said. “The recent spike in seizures appears to be a result of strengthened surveillance following a directive from the Election Commission of India. In most cases, migrants were found to be carrying ganja,” an RPF official said.

The period also saw the seizure of contraband items, including banned tobacco products and unauthorised Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), worth ₹2.2 lakh from rail passengers. A total of 25 kg of banned tobacco products and 18 litres of IMFL were confiscated. The checks were carried out by the RPF, often with the Government Railway Police and the Excise joining the operations.