KOCHI:
With the kingpin now behind bars, the Kerala State Excise Department intensified its probe into the tentacles of the drug mafia, which has allegedly reached the Malayalam film industry, according to the information provided by the arrested.
Incidentally, it was after an intense three-month-long surveillance operation, the excise officials arrested Tasleem Sultana, a key figure in the state’s narcotics trade.
During interrogation, Sultana allegedly revealed that prominent Malayalam film actors Shine Tom Chacko and Sreenath Bhasi were among her clients.
Excise Deputy Commissioner S. Vinod Kumar said they have intensified their probe, and if the need arises, they will serve a notice to the concerned film personalities to appear before them.
The Excise team is now in the process of recovering crucial evidence in the form of chats and messages in which Sultana was engaged with her clients through social media platforms.
Even though all the data has been deleted from the mobile phones of the two who have been arrested, the Excise team has now sought the help of scientific experts.
Acting on a tip, the excise officials took Sultana and her accomplice into custody from a resort near Alappuzha on Tuesday night.
The operation led to the seizure of hybrid ganja worth approximately Rs 2 crore in the open market.
Hailing from Kannur, Sultana primarily operates from Chennai, frequently traveling to Kochi and Alappuzha, which, officials believe, serve as key hubs for her distribution network.
Over the years, she developed strong ties with the Malayalam film industry, using her contacts to secure minor acting roles in a few films.
Sultana, who is understood to be proficient in a few languages, has been associated with the translation work of film scripts, and it helped her cement ties with film industry professionals.
This is not Sultana’s first brush with the law.
She has a previous record, having been arrested earlier for her involvement in a sex racket.
Actor Shine Tom Chacko, too, has had a controversial past. In 2015, he was arrested along with four models for cocaine possession but was acquitted a decade later due to lack of evidence.
Meanwhile, Sreenath Bhasi was questioned last year in connection with a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case linked to alleged gangster Om Prakash.
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