Cops nab 2 in drug bust at Panaji, Mandrem

Panaji: Goa police on Saturday arrested two individuals in separate narcotic cases at Panaji and Mandrem police stations and seized drugs worth Rs 1 lakh.

“During the narcotic raid at Campal, 27-year-old Yuraj Karde, resident of Betim, was caught red-handed in illegal possession of suspected ganja weighing 1kg, worth Rs 1 lakh in the international market,” SP North Rahul Gupta said. “The contraband was seized, and further investigation is under way,” Gupta said.

“In the Mandrem case, 33-year-old Kerala native Afsal Puthiyaveettil was arrested. During interrogation, Puthiyaveettil disclosed that he purchased the contraband from Shabeel K V of Kannur, Kerala,” he said.

Gupta said that call logs revealed regular communication and monetary transactions between Afsal and Shabeel, indicating Shabeel’s role in the drug trafficking. Shabeel was arrested in Frazer Town, Bangalore, and brought to the police station after due legal procedures, he said.