THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, November 5 (Aalimi Nation) – Keralam's police have arrested more than 15,000 people in five months under Operation Toofan, the state's anti-narcotics campaign, and officials say drugs worth over ₹200 crore have been seized so far. The figures were announced on Thursday as the state prepares to widen the drive to local bodies.
Inspector General of Police P. Vimalaadithya, the state nodal officer for the campaign, said 15,515 arrests had been made across 14,369 registered cases. The campaign was launched on June 2, 2026.
Police figures cited at the announcement put the seizures at 28.659 kg of MDMA and nearly 1,960 kg of ganja. Officials also listed 7.26 kg of hashish oil, 1.22 kg of methamphetamine, 778 grams of brown sugar and 673 grams of heroin, along with cocaine, opium, charas, LSD stamps and Nitrazepam.
Beyond arrests, the police said they had executed bonds in 1,584 cases under Section 34 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and seized 186 vehicles and 801 mobile phones. A total of 148 bank accounts were frozen, and proceedings were started in 40 cases under Section 68F of the Act, which deals with the forfeiture of illegally acquired property. Properties of more than 40 individuals have been confiscated, officials said.
Officials said Red Corner Notices were sought against four accused who fled abroad, a Blue Corner Notice against one person, and Look Out Circulars against 10 others.
State Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala disclosed the figures while inaugurating the Toofan Jagaran awareness rally at Kotta Maithanam in Palakkad. He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had praised the way Keralam involves the public in the fight against drugs and had offered central assistance under the Nasha Mukt Bharat campaign.
The two ministers met originally to discuss proposals for modernising Kerala Police. Mr Chennithala had earlier written to Mr Shah suggesting that the Toofan model be extended to other states and that a conference of state Home Ministers be held in Thiruvananthapuram.
"The fight against drugs cannot end with arrests," Mr Chennithala said in a post on X on Thursday.
Speaking in Palakkad, a district bordering another state, Mr Chennithala said the area was vulnerable and that attempts were being made to bring narcotics in from neighbouring states. He said drug sales were taking place mainly in Coimbatore and border areas rather than through direct sales inside Keralam, and called for coordinated public action against the cross-border network. These remarks reflect the minister's assessment, and no independent verification of the claim was available.
Operation Toofan has three components: Toofan Strike, which covers enforcement; Toofan Volunteers, which brings in public participation; and Toofan Care, which focuses on rehabilitation.
Officials said a second phase will take the campaign to gram panchayats, municipalities and corporations. Plans include Toofan Grama Sabhas in every ward, training for local-level functionaries, and a project called Toofan Eyes, under which CCTV cameras would be installed in government schools and linked to police stations.
The figures are those given by the state government and police, and they have not been independently audited. Officials did not say how many of those arrested face charges involving commercial quantities of narcotics.
