RPF alert on ganja flow

“Earlier, ganja was being smuggled into Erna-kulam and rural areas from Idukki side. But with the rise in the migrant population, instances of smu-ggling of narcotics through trains from northern states have gone up. The initiative was taken to stem the flow,” said Mr R Rajesh, DySP (Ernakulam region), Government Railway Police.

Three police personnel in mufti have been depl-o-yed at Aluva railway station who would frisk suspicious- looking migrants.

“They will be present whenever trains from northern states like Dhanbad Express chugs in. Passengers can also alert the railway police upon finding anything suspicious under the Railway Jagrata Samiti programme. All they have to do is to pass on the information to the travelling ticket examiners, coach attenders or any other railway staff who can quickly disseminate the information to the police,” he said.

On August 12 last, over 32 kilo ganja worth nearly Rs 2 lakh, being brought into the city from outside the state via trains, was seized from Edapally railway station.

The probe revealed the substance was brought from Visakhapatnam by an inter-state racket. The Ernakulam Rural Police alone has registered 14 cases in the first six months this year where the migrant labourers were acting as carriers.

“The racket smuggles the ganja through such labourers when they return to the state for joining work from their villages after a break,” sources said.

The initiative has already yielded results. On September 21, the railway police seized 35.5 kilo of banned tobacco products from Aluva railway station and arrested two Odissa natives who arrived by the Dhanbad-Alappuzha Express. Last month, the railway police had seized 34 kg ganja from Ernakulam and Alapuzha railway stations.