Freed from Saudi jail, Kerala man arrested for masterminding interstate drug racket
A 45-year-old man who returned from Saudi Arabia after securing his release through the payment of Rs 80 lakh in blood money has been arrested
A 45-year-old man who returned from Saudi Arabia after securing his release through the payment of Rs 80 lakh in blood money has been arrested in Kerala for allegedly masterminding an interstate narcotics racket, police said on Friday. The accused, Fazaluddin T., a native of Karikottakkari in Kannur district, was arrested on July 14 following an investigation into a methamphetamine trafficking network in Iritty, police said. Read Full Story According to police, Fazaluddin was arrested in Saudi Arabia in 2006 for allegedly murdering a man from Mangaluru while working there as a taxi driver.
He was released from prison in 2016 after voluntary organisations raised Rs 80 lakh through a public fundraising campaign and paid it as blood money, police said. After returning to India, Fazaluddin moved to Bengaluru and started working at a tea shop. However, in 2023, he was arrested by Bengaluru police for allegedly possessing around 50 kg of ganja, police said. During his stay in a Bengaluru jail, he allegedly established links with members of major drug syndicates, they added.
After being released from jail in January this year, Fazaluddin returned to Iritty and started working at an eatery. Police said the breakthrough in the case came after the arrest of an Iritty native with methamphetamine last month. The subsequent investigation revealed that the seized drug had allegedly been supplied through a network headed by Fazaluddin. Following days of surveillance, police intercepted and arrested him on July 14. Police said they would approach the court seeking his custody to identify other members of the racket and trace its wider network.
The case, they said, has linked the latest methamphetamine seizure in Iritty to a larger interstate narcotics network allegedly headed by Fazaluddin. Ends
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