logo
Who is Ketamelon? Kerala engineer behind India's top darknet drug ring arrested

Who is Ketamelon? Kerala engineer behind India's top darknet drug ring arrested

India Today09-07-2025
In a major crackdown on India's darknet drug trade, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested Edison Babu, a 35-year-old mechanical engineer from Kerala, who allegedly ran the country's most prolific darknet drug syndicate under the alias 'Ketamelon.'The narcotics control bureau arrested Edison Babu, a 35 year old mechanical engineer from Kerala. Babu allegedly ran the country's most prolific darknet drug syndicate under the alias 'Ketamelon'.advertisementAccording to the NCB, 'Ketamelon' was India's only Level 4 darknet vendor and had been operating for the last two years.
The high-impact operation, codenamed 'MELON,' was carried out by the NCB Cochin Zonal Unit after weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering. The operation led to the seizure of 1,127 LSD blots, 131.66 grams of Ketamine, and digital assets worth Rs 70 lakhs.NCB officials said the bust began on June 28, when 280 LSD blots were intercepted from three postal parcels in Cochin.'Investigation confirmed that these parcels were booked by the suspect. During a search of his house the next day, i.e., June 29, 847 more LSD blots and 131.66 grams of Ketamine were seized,' the NCB said in a statement.Edison, a native of Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam, had worked with several top companies in cities like Pune, Bengaluru, and Bombay before returning to Kerala. He reportedly opened a restaurant in Aluva but shut it down during the COVID-19 lockdown, after which he ventured into the dark web.NCB officials revealed that Edison had built a vast distribution network, shipping LSD to major cities across India. Over a span of 14 months, he is believed to have delivered an estimated 600 shipments.Neighbours in his locality described him as someone who kept to himself and rarely interacted. 'We never thought he would be involved in something like this. He never spoke to us much though,' said one of them.Two others, identified as Arun Thomas and Deol, are also in NCB custody in connection with the case. The agency said further investigations are underway.- EndsTune InMust Watch
IN THIS STORY#Kerala
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Friend sentenced to twelve years for acid attack on doctor in west Delhi
Friend sentenced to twelve years for acid attack on doctor in west Delhi

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Friend sentenced to twelve years for acid attack on doctor in west Delhi

New Delhi: Eleven years after a female doctor was attacked with acid while on her way to work in west Delhi's Rajouri Garden, the accused—who was her best friend—was recently sentenced to 12 years in rigorous imprisonment. On Dec 23, 2014, the 30-year-old senior resident doctor was riding her scooter to work when unidentified attackers struck. They also snatched her purse, which contained a wallet and mobile phone. Police later arrested Ashok Yadav, the doctor's male friend, as the main conspirator behind the attack, while his accomplice, Vaibhav, was named as a co-conspirator. Vaibhav introduced Yadav to two juveniles who carried out the acid attack; the juveniles were subsequently apprehended as well. Yadav's counsel argued that the convict was undergoing trial for the past 10 years and was in judicial custody since Dec 25, 2014, except for a brief interim bail period during the Covid-19 pandemic. The defence highlighted his good conduct during incarceration, supported by several certificates of appreciation from jail authorities. The counsel further stated that the survivor did not sustain grievous injuries, only a partial loss of vision in her right eye, and that she was married and continuing her medical career, leading a normal life. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like List of 15 Foods You Should Avoid Eating during Pregnancy Undo You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi However, the survivor, who joined the proceedings via videoconferencing, stated that she continues to suffer from the consequences of the acid attack on her face and eye. She revealed that she lost vision in her right eye and still required regular medication to manage pain and inflammation. Despite undergoing multiple surgeries, her vision in the affected eye could not be restored. In addition to the 12-year imprisonment, the convict was fined Rs 5 lakh. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional one-year simple imprisonment. The sentencing order described Yadav as the mastermind behind the conspiracy. When the doctor rejected his repeated marriage proposals and became engaged to someone else, Yadav sought revenge by disfiguring her face. He roped in Vaibhav to execute the plan, which involved throwing acid on the doctor. To divert suspicion, Yadav staged the attack as a robbery by having her bag stolen. "An aggravating factor in this case is the manner in which the convict shattered the trust the victim placed in him," the order read. "As discussed in the judgment dated July 16, she trusted Yadav so much that he was the first person she called for help after the incident. However, Yadav, while pretending to be her friend, secretly planned to disfigure her by throwing acid on her face." Yadav was convicted under sections 392 (robbery), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 394 (voluntarily causing hurt during robbery), 326A (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid), and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the Indian Penal Code. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and s ilver prices in your area.

Farmers protest, allege revenue officials seek bribe to move files
Farmers protest, allege revenue officials seek bribe to move files

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Farmers protest, allege revenue officials seek bribe to move files

Noida: A group of farmers from Dadri staged a sit-in at the tehsil office Thursday, accusing revenue officials, particularly lekhpals and kanungos, of seeking hefty bribes for moving files for minor works like land measurement, property mutation entry or clearance for road access. This is the second such protest by farmers within a week. Last week, a group of farmers staged a demonstration at the Sadar tehsil over the same issues. Ranbir Singh (50), who owns a three-bigha farmland in Nagla Chamru village, told TOI that he had approached a kanungo (records and revenue official) after a path leading from his field to the main road on khasra number 532—khasra is a unique number allotted to each plot in the revenue records—was occupied by a few other farmers, cutting him off from his field since July. You Can Also Check: Noida AQI | Weather in Noida | Bank Holidays in Noida | Public Holidays in Noida "A few farmers have occupied the pathway and started cultivating crops on it. So, I am unable to reach my own field or water it. I've complained multiple times, but the tehsil staff did nothing. On July 27, when I met the Kanungo, he rightaway told me what his rate was," Singh, who mostly cultivates wheat and rice, said. The farmer claimed the official asked him to pay Rs 50,000 to get the path cleared. Another farmer, Chaudhary Praveen Bhartiya, said land tillers were regularly harassed and made to run from one counter to another for basic services, like earmarking field boundaries to getting road access. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The World's Oldest Living Actors. Reportingly Undo "Unless we pay bribes, files don't move," he said. Farmers, under the banner of Corruption Free India movement, also met SDM Anuj Nehra and submitted a memorandum addressed to the chief minister. The SDM, however, claimed the allegations of bribery were false. She also ruled out any delay in land documentation work and claimed farmers could not submit any specific complaint that required her intervention. "I listened to their concerns personally, but there were no other specific complaints being raised that required action from my side," Nehra said. The SDM claimed that they had surveyed the area in Nagla Chamru village after a farmer submitted a complaint and found that a road existed in the area. "The complainant is demanding that a pathway should be carved on a plot that passes through a neighbouring field, and this cannot be done," she said. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and s ilver prices in your area.

Owners of marriage bureau among four nabbed in child trafficking case
Owners of marriage bureau among four nabbed in child trafficking case

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Owners of marriage bureau among four nabbed in child trafficking case

Ghaziabad: Two women who own marriage bureaus in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli were among four persons arrested for allegedly running a child trafficking racket that involved abducting babies and selling them to childless couples across various states. The gang, according to police, targeted fair-skinned newborns, who fetched them anything up to Rs 5 lakh. The rate — upwards of Rs 1.5 lakh — depended on the child's gender and skin tone. Police are also looking for a nurse attached to a Moradabad hospital and an Asha worker in connection with the racket, suggesting the possible involvement of health facilities in selling off babies. The four arrested gang members are Naved Ansari (19), Afsar (28), Swati alias Shaista (35), and Sandhya Chauhan (37). Sandhya operated the Subharti Marriage Bureau in Muzaffarnagar, while Swati ran Pari Marriage Bureau in Moradabad. Afsar owned a meat shop in Tronica City while Naved was a daily wager. You Can Also Check: Noida AQI | Weather in Noida | Bank Holidays in Noida | Public Holidays in Noida The gang is believed to have trafficked more than 10 babies over the past three years. The veil was lifted off the racket after police traced an abductor to a house in Loni and rescued a one-year-old boy on Thursday. The police probe began after the boy's father, Rashid, lodged a complaint about his missing son, who was last seen playing outside their house in Tronica City. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like With temperatures hitting 95°F, this is the mini air conditioner everyone's buying in the U.S News of the Discovery Undo CCTV footage from nearby bus stands and railway stations was scrutinised, leading to the identification of a man carrying the child. The cops traced the man to the house in Loni, where the child was found with a woman. The woman said Naved had given her the boy, claiming that his mother had eloped. Police investigation revealed that a couple from Moradabad had initially shown interest in taking the boy for Rs 2.5 lakh. But when they backed out, the gang contacted another couple in Amroha, who agreed to pay Rs 1.5 lakh. Naved, according to cops, had kept the baby boy in the Loni house for only a couple of hours when police barged in and rescued him. It was Afsar who had tipped off Naved about the child playing outside his house on Tuesday. Afsar, who was promised a commission for information on the boy, told interrogators that he was under mounting debt because his meat shop was shut during the month of Sawan. ACP Siddharth Gautam said the gang had spread its tentacles to Delhi, Bijnor, Moradabad, Roorkee, Amroha, and possibly Jammu & Kashmir and Nepal. So, how did they operate? The gang's members would randomly click photos of children playing and circulate them on social media, particularly WhatsApp groups. Swati and Sandhya, who had contacts of couples who came to their marriage bureaus, would reach out to them with photos of the babies, especially if they were childless after years of tying the knot. The rates would then be discussed, depending on the gender and complexion of the child. Nurse Ranjhana alias Reeta of Moradabad and Asha worker Deepak Singh would also give information on children from their health facilities, particularly those born to women with unwanted pregnancies and from poor background. Initial investigation revealed that Reeta was active in the gang for two years and a half. She would transfer babies to the other gang members after misleading women patients that they had delivered a stillborn. The cops said they had recovered several incriminating chats from the mobile phones of the accused women. The chats included discussions with Reeta and Deepak about selling the children and their possible rates. An FIR was registered against the arrested accused under Section 143 (4) (trafficking) of the BNS at Tronica City police station. "We plan to add more charges as the investigation progresses," an officer said. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and s ilver prices in your area.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store