Two held with 46g MDMA near toll plaza

Palakkad: A man and a woman were arrested with nearly 46 grams of MDMA near the Panniyankara toll plaza on Sunday, as part of the state-wide anti-narcotics drive, Operation Toofan.

Police said the woman had hidden the drug in her undergarment, while the man carried his share in his pocket.The accused were identified as Elizabeth (25) of Ponkunnam in Kottayam and Shahul Suneer (29) of Aruvichira in Erattupetta. The two were intercepted by Vadakkencherry police around 9am, based on a tip-off received during the operation.Police said the duo had travelled separately from Bengaluru to Kerala on different private buses, and were waiting near the toll plaza to continue their journey together when they were apprehended.During the search, officers seized 45.253 grams of MDMA from the pair. Of this, 24.089 grams was recovered from Shahul’s trouser pocket, while 21.164 grams was found concealed in Elizabeth’s undergarment, police said.Preliminary interrogation revealed that the drug had been procured from Bengaluru. Investigators suspect the accused have links to an interstate drug trafficking network and are probing both the source of the narcotics and their intended recipients in Kerala.Both accused were booked under the NDPS Act, and further investigation is underway.