The City police have arrested another Maldivian in connection with the alleged attempt to smuggle around 17 kg of hashish oil. Three Maldivian natives have been arrested earlier and is currently in judicial custody.
The accused, identified as Amhar Rasheed, 22, was apprehended by a team led by Assistant Commissioner (Narcotics) Sheen Tharayil from a house near Pettah on Saturday where he resides as a paying guest.
The Cantonment police had arrested Ayman Muhammed, 24, Ebrahim Fousan Salih, 29, and Shaneez Maheer, 27, early last month, with alleged possession of the contraband, believed to be worth ₹5 crore.
According to the police, Amhar was identified and subsequently caught after examining CCTV visuals obtained from the hotels where the other accused persons had stayed. Their phone records also strengthen the suspicion that he had allegedly been in close contact with the gang.
He is suspected to have provided a large quantity of hashish oil to the trio to be smuggled from the country to Maldives.
“The accused has been residing in a house in Palkulangara for the last five years, during which he had completed a course at the Cooperative Arts and Science College in Thampanoor and was currently pursuing an aviation programme. He has managed to remain under the radar for long by ensuring his activities projected a clean image. There were reasons to suspect that he was a key link for drug trafficking from the country,” a senior official said.
The police have formally apprised the Consulate of Maldives of the arrest.