Operation Toofan: police zero in on suspects among labourers in Kozhikode

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.

First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.

Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.

Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers

Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there

The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.

The Kozhikode City and Rural police have stepped up surveillance of accommodations housing migrant workers across the district as part of Operation Toofan, a special campaign aimed at curbing drug trafficking and related criminal activities.

As part of the intensified monitoring, landlords who have rented out private accommodations to migrant workers will be required to produce valid rental agreements during surprise inspections. The agreements should have complete details of the occupants, police sources said.

According to officials, investigations have revealed that a section of migrant workers may be acting as intermediaries for inter-State drug trafficking networks. The police suspect that some workers, especially in the construction sector, are involved in facilitating drug distribution.

According to sources, several individuals, including a few women workers, are under surveillance, especially in the rural areas of the district. The authorities are monitoring their activities and possible links with drug trafficking syndicates.

The police have also sought the support of local self-government institutions to strengthen vigilance. Panchayat representatives have been asked to keep watch on suspicious accommodations and report unusual activities. In a few areas, local body representatives are coordinating with the police to conduct surprise inspections.

Officials are scrutinising the call records of certain suspects who were reportedly in contact with individuals arrested in connection with inter-State drug trafficking cases earlier. The exercise is intended to identify wider networks and identify possible links between local operators and organised drug rackets.

A senior police officer pointed out that there had been instances in the past where migrant workers with criminal backgrounds secured rented accommodations and continued illicit activities under the guise of regular employment. Several such cases came to light following coordinated operations by enforcement agenc