Hybrid ganja case in Kerala: Couple’s arrest opens a pandora’s box

Excise department sleuths in Kerala uncover largest hybrid ganja haul, leading to arrests and connections to film industry.

Acting on specific intelligence, sleuths from the Excise department lay in wait near a resort at Omanapuzha in Alappuzha, Kerala, on the night of April 1. Around 10:30 p.m., a rented car carrying five individuals — including a couple and their two children — arrived at the location. Among them was Thasleema Sulthana, alias Christina, a Kerala-born woman currently residing in Chennai, who had booked a room at the resort under the pretence of being a film scriptwriter. She entered the premises carrying a bag. Moments later, officials apprehended Thasleema along with her accomplice K. Feroze, a native of Mannancherry in Alappuzha.

Then came the real shocker. Inside the bag were three kilograms of hybrid ganja worth around ₹2 crore. According to officials, it was the largest haul of hybrid ganja ever seized by the Excise department in the State. While the size of the haul itself was significant, the subsequent investigation uncovered even more startling details. A week after the initial arrests, the Excise department nabbed Sultan Akbar Ali, Thasleema’s husband, from Chennai. Sultan, who was present with Thasleema at the time of her arrest, was initially let off due to a lack of evidence. However, as the investigation progressed, he emerged as the prime suspect.

Investigators said that Sultan had brought the drug from Bangkok in Thailand for distribution in Kerala, especially in the film and tourism sectors with the help of his wife. Sultan, who poses as an electronic gadget dealer had conducted multiple foreign trips, including to Malaysia and Singapore in recent times, some of which were undertaken with duplicate passports. Authorities believe he used the trips to smuggle gold and hybrid ganja into India. Excise department officials also indicated that the preliminary probe had also pointed to Sultan’s involvement in “hawala dealings”.

Thasleema, known for her minor roles in films and connections within the Malayalam film industry, has reportedly been involved in drug and sex trafficking, as well as racketeering, for some time – allegedly supplying drugs to “high-end clients”.

“Thasleema and her husband are involved in multiple illegal activities such as gold smuggling, operating a sex racket and ganja trade. The interrogation of the accused is ongoing. We are investigating their connections, including links to people in the film industry,” said an Excise official.

The official said call and message details retrieved from Thasleema’s mobile phone had “established” her links with a couple of Malayalam film stars. “We are in the process of corroborating the evidence and determining whether anyone else can be named as an accused in the case. It is highly likely that film stars with connections to Thasleema will be summoned for questioning,” the official added.

A few years ago, Thasleema was arrested in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case registered at a police station in Ernakulam. The case involves the sexual abuse of a girl after administering drugs. She also spent a few days in jail in connection with a gold smuggling case.