Kozhikode Drug Probe Targets Network of Educators Following Special Instructors’ Arrests

Data Trails Expand Probe into Teaching Circles

Investigative efforts by the Kozhikode Rural police have shifted toward several new suspects in the Perambra, Kuttiyadi, and Nadapuram regions following a breakthrough in a regional drug-trafficking case. Authorities are currently scrutinizing bank records and call detail records (CDRs) to map out a broader network of educators who were allegedly in frequent communication with two recently detained special educators.

The anti-narcotics squad apprehended K.C. Keerthana of Maruthongara and K. Kavya of Koorachundu after weeks of surveillance. Police reports indicate that digital footprints and financial statements linked the pair to money transfers conducted on behalf of drug pushers across Kerala. Both women held contractual positions through Samagra Shiksha Kerala at the Perambra Block Resource Centre (BRC). Following their arrests, education authorities terminated Keerthana’s contract as a physical education instructor and Kavya’s role in providing support for children with special needs.

Tactics and Network Expansion

Senior officers within the anti-narcotics unit suggest the instructors were not merely passive participants. Evidence suggests the pair actively shared delivery coordinates with buyers after verifying payments. Investigators believe these instructors attempted to leverage their proximity to students to recruit new carriers into the trafficking operation.

Police have explicitly rejected rumors that the two instructors were victims of circumstance or “scapegoats.” Their arrests followed a rigorous verification of social media interactions and multiple transaction logs. Key findings of the ongoing investigation include:

• Evidence of bank accounts receiving funds from known drug traffickers statewide.
• Direct involvement in logistics, specifically regarding the transmission of drop-off locations.
• Potential recruitment efforts targeting local student groups to expand the trade's reach.

Administrative Fallout and Institutional Oversight

At the Perambra BRC, officials claimed they had no prior knowledge of the instructors' illicit activities, taking disciplinary action only after the police intervention. However, student organization activists have come forward with claims that earlier warnings were ignored. Statements provided to investigators suggest that complaints were previously lodged against one instructor for smoking during training modules, yet no administrative steps were taken at that time.

Paradoxically, reports indicate the arrested instructors had publicly participated in various anti-drug awareness campaigns. Police are now focusing their efforts on apprehending the primary coordinators behind the network as they analyze newly seized digital evidence and statements from the primary suspects.

Source: The Hindu — Home