THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:  Kerala police have arrested around 244 people and seized banned narcotic substances such as MDMA and ganja worth lakhs of rupees in a day-long statewide special anti-drug drive on September 23.

The state-wide special drive -- 'Operation D Hunt' -- was carried out to catch those storing and selling drugs in Kerala, the state police said in a statement on Sunday.

As part of the operation, police gathered information about those suspected of selling drugs.

After surveilling them for some days and based on additional information received regarding their activities, raids were carried out at various places where the banned narcotics were suspected to be stored, police said.

As part of the operation, 1,373 individuals suspected of being engaged in the sale of drugs were investigated.

Thereafter, 246 drug cases under the NDPS Act were registered and 244 persons were arrested by police, the statement said.

"Banned narcotics like MDMA, several kilograms of ganja, hashish oil and brown sugar (heroin) worth lakhs (of rupees) were seized as part of the operation," it said.

The operation was carried out by the newly constituted Range-level NDPC Coordination Cell and District Police Chiefs together on the instructions of State Police Chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb and under the supervision of ADGP (Law and Order) M R Ajithkumar, who also heads the Anti-Narcotics Task Force, it said.

Prior to the operation, a data bank -- of persons who regularly sell drugs and their associates who went to jail in drug cases -- was prepared, and these individuals were surveilled for a month, police said.

Similar operations would be conducted in the future too, they said.