Tracking of call detail records helps police break chain of drug pushers in Kozhikode

Several in contact lists of arrested drug peddlers under scanner

Prompt tracking and monitoring of call detail records (CDR) have helped the police break the chain of some key suspects in major drug trafficking cases in the district.

Investigation is on to find out the whereabouts of more persons, including students, who are suspected of having links with the previously arrested drug pushers.

Records available with the police reveal that the total quantity of the seized Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (LSD), commonly known as ecstasy drug, to date is above 500 grams in Kozhikode city alone. The seizure of ganja, brown sugar, and LSD stamps has also witnessed a steep increase this year with the heightened CDR-based enforcement.

Police sources said the hi-tech crime inquiry cell and the Kerala Police Cyberdome had played a key role in tracking call records and identifying maximum number of suspects having links with drug pushers’ network. After the arrest of each suspected drug peddler, the investigation team keeps an eye on all his contacts and steps up the monitoring mechanism. It has been found very effective in cracking the secret chain of distribution, they added.

According to senior police officers associated with the Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force, the inter-district and inter-State exchange of important data with various special investigation teams is also working well in cracking national and international operations of drug trafficking gangs. The seizure of 7.7 kg of LSD in the State in the last nine months itself is the result of such an intensified vigil, they pointed out.

Officers associated with the ongoing action against drug trafficking revealed that the arrest of 18,745 persons in connection with various drug cases in the last nine months was a major achievement for the Kerala Police. According to them, around 17,000 cases have been registered in the State during the term, proving the efficacy of the focused action.

Like the police, the Crime Branch of the Excise department is also keen on investigating various cases based on CDR analysis. The agency too is in touch with the hi-tech cell and the Cyberdome for technology-enabled follow-up investigations. Before the formation of the Crime Branch wing in the Excise department, the practice was to just check accessible contacts on the seized mobile phones of suspects to track their aides.