Minister Disputes Malappuram Arrest Figures
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has pushed back against reports claiming that Malappuram recorded the highest number of arrests in the state's anti-drug drive, Operation Toofan. In a series of posts on X on Saturday evening, he said the objective of the operation was not to top arrest charts but to identify drug sources, break supply networks, and make the state safer.
Chennithala explained that Kerala Police administers some geographical districts through separate City and Rural police districts. If these units are shown separately while Malappuram is counted as a single district, the comparison would not be uniform, he said.
"When City and Rural police figures are combined for a geographical comparison: Ernakulam - 1,393 arrests, Kozhikode - 1,373, Malappuram - 999," Chennithala said. He also noted that Kozhikode recorded the highest number of cases at 1,327.
The minister cautioned against interpreting higher arrest or case figures as an indication that a particular district had a greater drug problem. "More arrests do not mean worse people. More cases do not mean a worse district," he said.
Figures Reflect Enforcement, Not Character
Chennithala said the arrest figures reflected police detection, enforcement, and citizens coming forward with information. "They are records of action - not certificates of character," he said.
He stressed that district rankings were not the purpose of Operation Toofan, which is aimed at identifying drug sources and sellers, disrupting supply chains, and preventing narcotics from reaching young people. "Arrests measure enforcement. Breaking the network is the real objective," he said.
According to the minister, Operation Toofan has so far resulted in 10,015 arrests and 9,280 cases across the state. Besides enforcement, 9,147 awareness classes and 6,561 programmes through School and College Protection Groups have been conducted.
Operation to Continue with Focus on Networks
Chennithala said the operation would continue across the state, with the focus on following evidence, identifying sources, and breaking networks involved in the drug trade. "Our approach is clear. Where there is crime, we will act without fear or favour. Where there is prejudice, we will answer with facts," he said.
The minister reiterated that the measure of success for Operation Toofan was not the number of arrests but the dismantling of drug supply chains. "Our goal is not to top arrest charts. Our goal is to make Kerala safer from drugs," he concluded.