The excise and police squads have intensified day and night patrol around a number of newly identified drug hotspots at Koyilandy and Vadakara in the district following the death of a 26-year-old youth due to drug overdose. Railway stations, bus stands, and a number of abandoned buildings are in the list of locations under round-the-clock surveillance.
According to Excise department sources, an inter-district chain of drug pushers are suspected behind the death of the youth hailing from Koyilandy’s Kuruvangad village last week. Further investigation is required to determine whether the gang has connections with other group of youngsters in the area, they reveal.
After the police intensified flash vehicle checking on national and State highways to track suspected drug pushers following a State-level directive, the drug pushers are now misusing the railway network to send the consignments. As most of such consignments are unescorted, the Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police are finding it difficult to track the carriers. Parcel services are also among the alternative options to bypass the flash inspections.
