CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: South India's top police chiefs and central intelligence heads gathered at a high-level summit to integrate Operation Toofan: The Narco Hunt into a seamless cross-border anti-narcotics grid. Launched by Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala within hours of assuming office, the mission has evolved into one of India's most comprehensive anti-drug initiatives, with five southern states agreeing to establish a permanent joint coordination mechanism to combat interstate narcotics trafficking.
Officially inaugurated by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan at the beginning of the current academic year, Operation Toofan is now entering its next phase through a unified operational framework aimed at strengthening intelligence sharing, coordinating enforcement, and enhancing interstate cooperation against organised drug networks.
The Operation Toofan Summit, chaired by Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, brought together top regional police chiefs, including Kerala DGP Ravada Azad Chandrasekhar IPS, Tamil Nadu DGP Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal IPS, Puducherry DGP Shalini Singh IPS, and Karnataka ADGP R. Hitendra IPS. Elite central enforcement agencies were also represented by NCB Deputy Director General R. Sudhakar, DRI Additional Director General K. Padmavathi, Customs Preventive Commissioner T. Tiju, and SIB Joint Director Don K. Jose. Concluding the high-level briefings, IG and Operation Toofan Nodal Officer Putta Vimaladithya, IPS, presented the core operational strategies and timelines for the new interstate alliance.
Under Operation Toofan, each state decided to appoint a nodal officer (SP rank or above) to coordinate joint crackdowns on road, rail, air, and sea smuggling. A major focus will be on tackling courier networks and "mid-route train drops" that bypass station security. Internally, Kerala is expanding its DANSAF force and establishing 12 new specialised NDPS courts to fast-track convictions.
"The drug mafia operates without borders—and from this day forward, so will our response," Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala stated. He recently held direct talks with Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, strategically linking Kerala's operational framework with Karnataka's efforts to eliminate illicit networks. As the next major operational step, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge will arrive in Kerala on July 15 for crucial bilateral talks with Chennithala to finalise joint border-control protocols between the two states.
Operation Toofan structurally attacks the problem from multiple angles. It is divided into four human-centric pillars: Toofan Strikes for aggressive enforcement, Toofan Warriors for mass civic mobilisation, Toofan Care focusing on rehabilitation, and the newly integrated Toofan Jagaran—a comprehensive mass-awareness initiative designed to keep the entire nation vigilant against the encroachment of illicit networks without borders or barriers.
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