Tamil Nadu police are on high alert after receiving information that Sri Lanka’s notorious underworld criminal Mohammad Najeem Mohammad Imran has reached Rameswaram across the sea. According to intelligence agencies, he was connected to international drug gangs and entered India after being released on bail from a Sri Lankan jail.
Muhammad Imran, popularly known as Kanchipani Imran, is a drug dealer with roots in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. It has close ties with the Hajiali chain in Pakistan and the Guna chain in Sri Lanka. Imran, who is facing legal action in cases of smuggling and murder, was deported to Sri Lanka in 2019 after he was arrested in Dubai. He was in judicial custody there but was released on bail last week.
Central intelligence agencies have received information that Imran had reached Rameswaram on December 25 along with a few companions. It is said that he came to Thalaimannar in disguise as soon as he was released from jail and from there reached Rameswaram by boat. Security agencies have been instructed to search the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu to find the hideout of him and his associates.
LTTE centered in Tamil Nadu. There were reports that there was an attempt at reunification and a reliance on drug trafficking to finance it. It was found that those who were in the Sri Lankan boat that was caught with weapons and drugs in Vizhinjam, Kerala, were connected to the Guna network. The authorities believe that the presence of Imran, who is closely related to Gunasekaran, the head of the Guna network, is therefore a threat to national security.
Apart from drug trafficking, Kanchipani Imran is also accused in murder cases. Sri Lanka’s anti-terrorist offense (PTA) was filed against him after he threatened to kill a police officer. However, the police recently dropped that department. That is why bail was granted. Intelligence agencies had received information that Imran would enter India as soon as he was released from jail. Sri Lanka has not yet formally informed India about Imran’s escape.
