16-06-2025
Fake drug case: police to question key accused
The police will question both Livia Jose and Narayana Das, the two key accused in the fake narcotics case that led to the wrongful arrest and imprisonment of Chalakudy-based beautician Sheela Sunny in 2023. The police have begun the process of securing their custody for further interrogation, as discrepancies have emerged in their individual statements.
The case, which dates back to February 27, 2023, began when Excise officials allegedly found LSD stamps in Ms. Sheela Sunny's scooter. She was arrested and spent 72 days in jail. However, a forensic lab report later revealed there were no traces of drugs on the seized stamps, and Ms. Sheela was acquitted of all charges.
Subsequent investigations revealed the entire case was a deliberate attempt to frame her. The police found that the conspiracy was hatched by Narayana Das, 58, from Tripunithura and Livia Jose, a resident of Kalady, who is also the sister of Ms. Sheela's daughter-in-law.
Narayana Das was arrested in April from Bengaluru, and Livia was taken into custody from Mumbai three days ago.
According to the police, Livia has confessed to orchestrating the false case out of personal grudge, stemming from allegations that Ms. Sheela had maligned her reputation. According to Livia, Ms. Sheela had questioned how Livia, a student in Bengaluru, managed to accumulate expensive goods and even made derogatory remarks about her lifestyle.
Livia told the police she acted alone, with help from Narayana Das, and denied any involvement of her sister. She claimed she planted the fake drug stamps in Ms. Sheela's scooter out of revenge, but admitted she was duped by an African national who supplied her with fake LSD stamps, thinking they were real.
Sheela Sunny, meanwhile, has dismissed Livia's statements as false. She clarified that her only remark was a query to her daughter-in-law about Livia's source of income as a student and that this was never shared with anyone else. She stated that she had no serious conflict with Livia and denied sending any voice messages to her son blaming Livia.
'This was a planned move by Livia in collusion with my daughter-in-law to isolate me from the family,' Sheela said. She added that Livia's relatives themselves had expressed concern over her behaviour and had planned to visit Bengaluru to look into her lifestyle.
Ms. Sheela also claimed she has not been in contact with her son since the case began and questioned the credibility of Livia's statements, especially the claim that she made defamatory remarks that led to the conspiracy.
