DRI arrests 2 Indians at Cochin airport with ₹20 lakh drugs from Bangkok
Synopsis
A Bangkok-to-Cochin drug run ended in arrest — and a self-inflicted knife wound. One of two Andhra Pradesh men caught with 3.5 kg of Methaqualone at Cochin airport allegedly stabbed himself during questioning. Meanwhile, DRI's Mumbai unit was pulling 2.25 kg of cocaine out of body-packing smugglers from Addis Ababa — two operations, four arrests, ₹11.25 crore in a single week.
Key Takeaways
DRI arrested Satya Narayana Rokkalla and Arun Kumar Pandari at Cochin International Airport on 25 May 2025 .
3.5 kg of Methaqualone worth over ₹20 lakh was seized; the accused had arrived on a Thai Lion Air flight from Bangkok .
Rokkalla allegedly stabbed himself in the stomach during questioning; he was hospitalised in Angamaly with non-serious injuries.
Separately, DRI Mumbai seized 2.25 kg of cocaine worth ₹11.25 crore from 4 foreign nationals at CSMI Airport in two operations on 19 May and 22 May .
All Mumbai accused had concealed drugs inside their bodies; a total of 147 capsules were recovered from them at government hospitals.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Monday, 25 May arrested two Indian nationals at Cochin International Airport after seizing 3.5 kilograms of Methaqualone — a controlled narcotic — worth over ₹20 lakh in the domestic illicit market. The accused had arrived on a Thai Lion Air flight from Bangkok, according to a DRI statement.
Who Was Arrested
The two accused were identified as Satya Narayana Rokkalla and Arun Kumar Pandari, both residents of Andhra Pradesh. DRI officials intercepted them at the airport upon their arrival and initiated questioning. The contraband was recovered during the subsequent search.
Accused Stabs Himself During Questioning
In a dramatic turn, Satya Narayana Rokkalla allegedly picked up a knife from a table while being taken for questioning and stabbed himself in the stomach, reportedly in a bid to escape custody. He was subsequently shifted to a private hospital in Angamaly. According to DRI officials, his injuries are not serious.
Mumbai Operations: ₹11.25 Crore Cocaine Seized
In a separate but related crackdown, the DRI Mumbai Zonal Unit arrested four foreign nationals and seized 2.25 kg of cocaine worth approximately ₹11.25 crore in the illegal market, across two operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International (CSMI) Airport, Mumbai.
In the first operation on 22 May, DRI officers — acting on specific intelligence — intercepted one male and one female passenger arriving from Addis Ababa. Both admitted to having ingested capsules containing narcotics. They were admitted to a government hospital, where authorities recovered 84 capsules containing 1.40 kg of cocaine, valued at nearly ₹7 crore.
In a second operation on 19 May, DRI officers intercepted two African nationals — one male and one female — also arriving from Addis Ababa. They too confessed to swallowing drug-filled capsules. A total of 63 capsules containing 850 grams of cocaine, valued at around ₹4.25 crore, were recovered from them at a government hospital.
Pattern of Body-Packing Smuggling
All four Mumbai accused had concealed narcotics inside their bodies — a method known as 'body packing' or 'internal concealment' — a technique increasingly flagged by Indian customs and intelligence agencies at international airports. This is the third such multi-arrest operation reported at Indian international airports in a single week, pointing to a broader trafficking corridor from Africa and Southeast Asia into India.
What Happens Next
All arrested individuals are in DRI custody and face prosecution under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The DRI has not yet disclosed whether the Bangkok and Addis Ababa routes are connected, but the clustering of operations suggests coordinated intelligence activity across zonal units.
Point of View
Taken together, reveal a widening multi-corridor drug pipeline into India — Bangkok via Southeast Asia and Addis Ababa via the African route — both converging on international airports. The DRI's back-to-back successes suggest actionable intelligence sharing, but the body-packing method and the sheer frequency of interceptions also indicate that traffickers are testing Indian airport security at scale. The self-stabbing incident at Cochin is a stark reminder that smuggling networks are willing to go to extreme lengths to avoid prosecution. The real question is whether these arrests are disrupting the supply chain or merely skimming its surface.
NationPress
13 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What drugs were seized at Cochin airport on 25 May 2025?
DRI officers seized 3.5 kilograms of Methaqualone, a controlled narcotic substance, worth over ₹20 lakh in the domestic illicit market. The drugs were recovered from two Indian nationals who had arrived from Bangkok on a Thai Lion Air flight.
Who are the accused arrested at Cochin International Airport?
The two accused are Satya Narayana Rokkalla and Arun Kumar Pandari, both residents of Andhra Pradesh. They were intercepted by DRI officials upon arrival at Cochin International Airport on 25 May 2025.
Why did one of the accused stab himself at Cochin airport?
According to DRI officials, Satya Narayana Rokkalla allegedly picked up a knife from a table while being escorted for questioning and stabbed himself in the stomach, reportedly in a bid to escape. He was hospitalised in Angamaly; his injuries are described as not serious.
What happened in the separate DRI drug bust at Mumbai airport?
The DRI Mumbai Zonal Unit conducted two operations at CSMI Airport, arresting four foreign nationals and seizing 2.25 kg of cocaine worth approximately ₹11.25 crore. All four had concealed the drugs inside their bodies; a total of 147 capsules were recovered at government hospitals after the accused were admitted for medical examination.
Under which law will the accused be prosecuted?
All arrested individuals face prosecution under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, which governs drug offences in India and carries stringent penalties including long-term imprisonment for commercial-quantity seizures.
