Three men from Assam’s Nagaon district have been arrested by the Ernakulam rural police in Kerala after they were caught with 65 grams of heroin, officials reported. The suspects, identified as Abdul Bashar, 30, Beech Milan, 58, and Rustam Ali, 22, were apprehended at Nedumthode Junction following a targeted operation based on intelligence received by district police chief M Hemalatha.
A special investigation team led by the Perumbavoor Assistant Superintendent of Police intercepted the trio as they were traveling in an autorickshaw toward Allapra after arriving at Aluva by train from Assam. During the search, officers discovered six boxes of heroin cleverly concealed inside soap containers.
According to police, the prime suspect, Abdul Bashar, known by the alias “Bhandari,” has been identified as a key figure in an interstate drug trafficking network operating between Assam and Kerala. Investigators revealed that Bashar had been under surveillance for some time due to his suspected involvement in narcotics smuggling.
“Bashar is the main link in smuggling heroin from Assam to Kerala,” a police official stated. Investigators explained that Bashar had established an elaborate cover for his illegal activities by working as a contractor at a plywood company in Allapra, using his legitimate employment to mask his drug trafficking operations.
The police investigation uncovered that Bashar would purchase heroin boxes for approximately ₹30,000 and then repackage the drugs into smaller containers for retail distribution. Each of these smaller containers was allegedly sold for ₹1,000, significantly marking up the price and generating substantial profits.
This is not Bashar’s first encounter with law enforcement. Sources indicated that just a month ago, the same investigation team had apprehended him with nine containers of heroin, suggesting a pattern of repeated offenses despite prior enforcement actions.
The successful operation involved a coordinated effort by multiple officers including Perumbavoor ASP Shakti Singh Arya, Inspector T M Sufi, Sub-Inspectors Rince M Thomas and Subhash Thankappan, Assistant Sub-Inspector P A Abdul Manaf, and several Civil Police Officers.
