Stigma and Delays: Kerala's Food Delivery Workers Face Heightened Police Scrutiny Under Operation Toofan

Food delivery personnel in Kerala have expressed concerns over increased police surveillance as part of the state's anti-drug campaign, Operation Toofan: The Narco Hunt. Workers say they face stigma due to remarks by Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala linking the sector with drug peddling.

Speaking to the media in Alappuzha and Kochi, Mr. Chennithala warned delivery boys involved in drug peddling to stop or face legal consequences. He stated that police had received complaints about drug peddlers exploiting food delivery networks to transport narcotics. Stakeholders acknowledged instances of peddlers misusing uniforms and storage boxes of food aggregators to evade checks.

“More than anyone else, it is the workers engaged in delivery to make a living who want the police to crack down on those misusing their identity for drug peddling. However, the increased police checks in the name of the anti-drug drive have caused some trouble to genuine delivery personnel,” said V.S. Sunilkumar, secretary of the Kerala State Gig Workers Union (AITUC). He noted that routine checks take about 10 minutes, causing significant delays, and called for deployment of tech-savvy police personnel to verify orders swiftly.

Thasbeer T.T., a delivery worker in Kochi, recounted being stopped around midnight on June 27 near Infopark, Kakkanad. “Unlike before, we now have to open the food storage boxes during checks. It is causing some difficulty, though I don’t want to blame the police for carrying out their duty,” he said.

Abhishek Manohar, who has worked in online food delivery in Kochi for two years, observed a change in police attitude. “Now the surveillance has been strengthened. Along with that, there is a sense of contempt in some police personnel’s approach,” he said.

Some insiders, speaking on condition of anonymity, said drug peddlers have tried to infiltrate the sector. “Some enrol as delivery personnel and work like others. In between, they engage in supplying drugs. While most of us work to make ends meet, a few, mostly youngsters, may be misusing the opportunity to make easy money,” one delivery worker said.

A senior police officer coordinating the campaign said the minister’s remarks reflected intelligence inputs. “There won’t be any harassment in the name of police inspections,” the officer assured. Multiple incidents of delivery personnel being arrested with suspected narcotics have been reported in various parts of the country, including Kerala, in recent years.