Sri Vijaya Puram, April 20: A family based in Tapu Basti in Bambooflat has come under renewed scrutiny after residents alleged that it has been linked to narcotics trafficking in the islands for decades, with young people said to be among the most frequent visitors to the area.
According to multiple local accounts gathered by The Wave Andaman, the alleged network has operated for nearly 25 to 30 years. Residents alleged that the four-member family, comprising a father and his daughters, had earlier lived in Haddo and was suspected of involvement in the cannabis trade even there before shifting to Bambooflat. Some locals further alleged that the family maintained links with another household in Garacharma that was also engaged in similar activity, pointing to what they described as a wider and more durable network.
Residents also alleged that the family has a long history of involvement in criminal activity, and claimed that its alleged conduct has repeatedly been brought to the attention of law enforcement agencies over the years. However, locals said no strict or sustained action had followed, allowing the alleged activity to continue.
Residents claimed that the alleged activity became more visible after the family moved to Tapu Basti. According to locals, after the death of the wife in the household, the father and one of his daughters became the main figures linked to the suspected trade. Residents described the activity as organised and long-running, not sporadic or recent.
Several residents alleged that members of the family had earlier been arrested and jailed in connection with similar accusations before the Covid-19 lockdown, but that the activity resumed after their release. The Wave Andaman could not independently verify the details of those alleged arrests, and official records were not immediately available.
What has deepened concern in the area, residents said, is the pattern of movement around the family’s house during odd hours. According to local accounts, several people, many of them believed to be young men, are seen visiting the premises regularly between 4 am and 6 am. Residents alleged that these visits are linked to the purchase of narcotic substances.
According to locals, the family has for years been viewed as a known point of contact in the narcotics distribution network operating in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The allegations come at a time when rising addiction concerns and repeated seizures by the police and Coast Guard have pointed to a highly localised but increasingly sophisticated trafficking chain. Though law enforcement agencies have made arrests from time to time, the number of trafficking cases suggests there has been no meaningful slowdown in the trade.
Locals said the recurring footfall has created unease in the neighbourhood and disrupted the sense of safety in the area. Some residents alleged that repeated complaints had been made to local authorities, including the Stewartgunj panchayat, but claimed that the activity had continued.
Sources in the area also alleged that the network may not be confined to the islands and could have links with contacts in mainland India. While no documentary evidence was made available to substantiate that claim, several residents cited it as one reason they believe the alleged trade has survived for so long.
The Wave Andaman contacted Bambooflat Police for comment. No official response was received till the time of publication. A police department source, however, said the matter was known to the police, but added that no concrete evidence had yet been established to substantiate the allegations.
The allegations come amid wider concern over growing drug exposure among youth in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In recent months, police in the territory have reported multiple narcotics seizures in different parts of the islands, fuelling concern that illegal substances are becoming easier to access.
At present, the allegations against the Bambooflat family remain unproven. But the consistency of local accounts, about the duration of the alleged trade, the early-morning visits, the family’s past history, and repeated complaints to authorities, has kept the issue alive in public discussion and raised fresh questions about whether a deeper investigation will now follow.
