Rapper Vedan arrested and released on bail in NDPS case; detained by Forest dept. over ‘tiger claw' in his possession

The Hindu

28-04-2025

Kerala rapper Vedan (Hirandas Murali) and eight others were arrested by the Hill Palace police after around 6 gm of suspected ganja was recovered from their apartment near Vytilla in Kochi on Monday afternoon.
Vedan found himself in trouble shortly afterwards over a tiger claw on his chain following which the police alerted the Kodanad forest range office. Vedan reportedly confessed to have procured it from Thailand leaving him susceptible to another case for illegal possession of wildlife article by the Forest department.
A team of forest officials led by Kodanad range officer soon rushed to the Hill Palace police station. 'We will arrest him on non-bailable charges and take him to Kodanad for interrogation,' Forest department sources said.
The rapper and his group, the Hill Palace police said, had been under surveillance for sometime. The police seized around ₹9.50 lakh, which the accused claimed to be their fee for a stage programme held on Sunday, and their mobile phones.
'The ganja was not seized from anyone's personal procession but was found on a table in the apartment. We are aware of the source of ganja but cannot reveal it at this point,' police sources said.
Later, the accused were taken for medical examination. They were released on station bail since the suspected ganja involved was of small quantity. Vedan's programme scheduled in Idukki to mark the State government's fourth anniversary was cancelled in view of the incident.
Kodanad forest range sources said Vedan would have to be interrogated to verify whether hunting or trading was involved behind the tiger claw in his possession.
A native of Thrissur, Vedan's Voice of the Voiceless rap video was a hit online. He had also collaborated with music director Sushin Shyam for the promo song Kuthanthram for the hit film Manjummel Boys.