Bengaluru: Drug traffickers are riding the rails again. South Western Railway, with a total seizure of 919kg of ganja in 2025— up 269% from the previous year — delivered its biggest haul and highest arrest tally in three years, with Bengaluru division alone contributing nearly two-thirds of the cases.Data from SWR, which covers most of the state, indicates a significant increase in ganja seizures from trains and railway station premises in 2025. The total quantity of the substance seized by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) — valued at over Rs 6.7 crore — was obtained from 125 cases registered last year. This led to 57 arrests, the highest number in at least three years.Officials noted that the 2025 total surpassed the previous year’s figures well before June, largely due to intensified inspections and targeted enforcement efforts. Special teams were deployed to check suspicious luggage and parcels, especially on trains, particularly from eastern routes.Regular intelligence gathering and sharing among RPF, excise, and Govt Railway Police (GRP), along with the deployment of personnel and dog squads at strategic locations within key railway stations and targeted trains, helped the crackdown, said officials.SWR officials said data analysis — mainly to identify trends, patterns, vulnerable sections and trains — also contributed to increased busting. Though the zone has three divisions —Mysuru, Bengaluru and Hubballi— 67% of the cases were within the Bengaluru division alone.Of the zone’s total, Bengaluru division recorded 84 of the 125 cases and 49 of the 57 arrests, with most cases within city railway stations such as KSR Bengaluru, SMVT, Yeshwantpur and Yelahanka.“The numbers last year in all aspects are high, not just because smuggling activity rose; it is mostly because of improved vigilance and awareness among us,” a senior RPF inspector of the Bengaluru division said.“Our teams were given intense training, including how to identify specific narcotic substances through smell and touch, by the Narcotics Control Bureau. More female personnel in our team were also deployed on specific trains, and officers detected a lot of cases while in mufti,” the inspector added.The spike has renewed concerns about security mechanisms in city railway stations. As of Jan 2026, there were five X-ray baggage scanners in city stations, with SWR planning to add three more in the coming months. Despite these mechanisms, the lack of controlled entry and exit points adds to the problem. During a TOI reality check at SMVT railway station, several passengers were seen entering through exit gates, bypassing baggage scanning — an issue also noticed at KSR Bengaluru and Krishnarajapuram.The inspector pointed out that seizure of other psychotropic substances was very negligible during the crackdown.———Table (Source: SWR)Peddling busted on tracksYearRailway divisionNo. casesGanja seized (kg)Value (Rs)No. of arrests2023Mysuru00000Bengaluru56769.27.1 crore61Hubballi12.82.8 lakh1Total577727.1 crore62——————2024Mysuru233.633.6 lakh1Bengaluru24183.71.6 crore16Hubballi532.132.2 lakh1Total31249.62.3 crore18——————2025Mysuru1853.130 lakh5Bengaluru84671.24.9 crore49Hubballi23194.91.5 crore3Total125919.36.7 crore57
