A 24-member special team has been formed to check drug trafficking at Chennai Central station.

Tamil Nadu: Security has been strengthened at major railway stations in Tamil Nadu, including Chennai Central Railway Station, to prevent the smuggling of marijuana and other drugs. A 24-member special team has been formed, working in collaboration with the state intelligence department. The team’s objective is to completely curb drug trafficking through the railway network.

According to officials, large quantities of marijuana and other drugs were being brought to Chennai via trains from states like Odisha and West Bengal via the Vijayawada route in Andhra Pradesh. This network primarily utilized express trains, making it challenging to apprehend the smugglers. During 2025-26 alone, the Railway Protection Force seized hundreds of kilograms of marijuana from trains originating in North India at Chennai Central and Egmore railway stations.

Regarding the increasing cases of drug trafficking, the Tamil Nadu government has taken the matter seriously and ordered strict action. Following this, a special team was formed at Chennai Central Railway Station under the leadership of Railway Police Inspector G. Ezhilvendhan. This team comprises 14 Railway Police personnel and 10 Railway Protection Force personnel. This team will conduct 24-hour surveillance at stations and trains, with deployments in separate shifts for day and night.

Officials stated that under the new system, security personnel have been instructed to increase vigilance and respond immediately to suspicious activities. Passengers arriving and departing at railway stations are being thoroughly checked, and suspicious items are being monitored.

A few days ago, this special team conducted a major operation and searched an express train arriving at Chennai Central from Odisha via Vijayawada. During this operation, 14 kilograms of marijuana was recovered and two people were arrested. Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused are linked to an organized smuggling network that supplies drugs between various states.

Railway officials say that continuous operations will be carried out to prevent such smuggling, and even more stringent security measures will be implemented in the future. After the deployment of the special team, it is expected that drug smuggling through the railway network will be controlled to a great extent.