Police step up vigil as drug traffickers allegedly use women as carriers

The District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF), in association with local patrol squads, has intensified vehicle inspections across Kozhikode district following reports that drug traffickers are increasingly employing women as co-passengers to evade detection during road checks.

As part of the field-level enforcement drive against substance abuse, local patrol teams and anti-drug squads have been directed to conduct thorough checks of passengers travelling in trucks, light motor vehicles, motorcycles, and tourist carriages, including couples and family groups.

According to police sources, several recent cases have revealed that traffickers were using young women as accomplices or co-travellers to minimise suspicion during inspections. Many of those arrested in connection with such incidents were inter-State operators who posed as couples or friends while transporting narcotic substances.

A senior police officer attached to the anti-narcotic unit in Kozhikode city said law enforcement personnel had traditionally exercised caution while inspecting vehicles carrying families or couples, particularly during late-night hours. However, repeated incidents of traffickers exploiting this consideration had prompted a change in strategy. The arrest of multiple suspects in Kozhikode and nearby districts in recent years has led to stricter verification of all passengers, the officer said.

Police officers involved in the Operation Toofan campaign also reported attempts by traffickers to misuse professional and official emblems to avoid scrutiny. Fake stickers bearing the names of lawyers, doctors, and media organisations were allegedly displayed on vehicles to create an impression of emergency or official travel.

A senior police officer from the Kasaba station said instructions had been issued to several professional associations to maintain proper records of authorised stickers and share relevant information with enforcement agencies to help verify their authenticity during inspections.

Officers associated with anti-drug operations in rural Kozhikode said there had also been incidents in which suspects attempted to avoid checks by citing medical conditions or other personal difficulties. Such tactics, they said, had become familiar to enforcement squads.

Investigators further pointed to earlier cases involving fake registration numbers and stolen vehicles used for transporting narcotics. Continuous monitoring in coordination with the Motor Vehicles department had helped identify several such vehicles.

Despite the heightened vigil under Operation Toofan, some senior police officers expressed concern over the increasing involvement of students, including girls, in drug trafficking. A senior officer with the State unit of the Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force said vigilance committees in educational institutions would be strengthened in the days to professionally assist authorities in identifying vulnerable groups of students and preventing their recruitment into drug distribution networks. Efforts to strengthen such monitoring mechanisms should continue, she added.