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The Hindu
28-05-2025
- The Hindu
Two men spend five months in jail after police mistake rock sugar for MDMA
A new job opportunity turned into a harrowing five-month ordeal for two men, who were wrongfully jailed on charge of possessing MDMA, only to be released after a test report revealed that the seized substance was rock sugar. Manikandan, 46, of Kannur and Biju Mathew of Kolichal in Kasaragod, were arrested on November 26, 2024, by the Nadakavu police in Kozhikode. Officers with the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) allegedly found 58 grams of white powder in Mr. Manikandan's pocket and assumed that it was MDMA. Despite their claims that the powder was only rock sugar, the two were booked and remanded. With the chemical report pending, their pleas for bail were rejected. It was only on the 151st day of remand that the chemical analysis confirmed what they had maintained all along — the substance was not a narcotic. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Mathew described the experience as a nightmare that has scarred him for life. 'Those days in jail felt endless. I kept thinking of my mother, who was all alone,' he said. 'A nightmare' Mr. Mathew said he and Mr. Manikandan, both drivers and friends for long, had met at the Kanhangad railway station on November 24 and travelled to Kozhikode to pursue a job opening. 'We rented a room and had liquor with rock sugar as as side dish. When we went downstairs for dinner, the DANSAF team surrounded us and took us into custody,' he said. 'They found the rock sugar in Manikandan's pocket. They refused to listen to us and insisted that it was MDMA.' he said. Only months later did the forensic laboratory's report prove their innocence, prompting the Vadakara NDPS court to order their release. However, exoneration has brought little comfort. 'People treated us like criminals. My relatives refused to speak to me,' Mr. Mathew said. With no job and no income, and severe emotional damage to boot, his life after release has been difficult and he has chosen to tell the story so as to clear his name. When asked about legal action against the officials who falsely implicated him, he said he did not have the means to fight a case. 'But I want people to know the truth.' Attempts to contact Mr. Manikandan were met with silence. But Mr. Mathew said his friend suffered just as much. 'His daughter had to stop her nursing studies since they could not pay her fee while he was in jail,' he said. DANSAF version A senior DANSAF officer, on condition of anonymity, said the duo were arrested based on credible intelligence. 'According to our sources, they came to Kozhikode to purchase MDMA, but were duped and were sold rock sugar instead,' the officer said. He claimed the duo admitted to this during interrogation. 'Once the lab results were out, they changed their version of events,' the officer added.
New Indian Express
12-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Four Bengal men arrested with 24kg ganja hidden inside bicycle air pumps in Kochi
KOCHI: Drug peddlers are finding new and innovative ways to smuggle ganja into the state. On Sunday, four West Bengal natives were arrested from the vicinity of the signal junction near the Kochi airport in Aluva with around 24kg of ganja that they had concealed inside bicycle air pumps. The arrested persons are Murshidabad natives Rakhibul Mollah, 21, Sirajul Munshi, 30, Rabi, 42, and Saiful Sheikh, 36, all of whom are believed to be key figures in a ganja trafficking network. The action was taken during a joint operation undertaken by the Nedumbassery police and the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) based on a confidential tip-off received by District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural) M Hemalatha. The contraband, said a source with the Ernakulam Rural police, had been concealed inside 200 bicycle air pumps. 'The suspects disguised themselves as bicycle air pump vendors to smuggle drugs. Preliminary investigations indicate they are key figures in a ganja trafficking network operating in the state,' the source said, adding that the accused persons procured the cannabis from Odisha for Rs 2,000 per kg and intended to sell it here for 10 times the price. The source said the four were travelling together in an auto-rickshaw when they were intercepted and apprehended. 'Earlier, the suspects used to arrive at Aluva from Odisha by train. However, they altered their travel route recently, disembarking in Coimbatore and then reaching Angamaly by bus, before taking the autorickshaw.' Hemalatha said the seizure was the first of its kind in Kerala. 'Not only was it a major drug bust, but it also revealed a new smuggling technique. The cannabis was concealed inside the air pumps in a way that aroused no suspicion at first glance. However, a detailed inspection by the team led to the seizure,' she said. The police are investigating possible links and involvement of others in the network.
Gulf Today
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Two Malayalam film directors detained with hybrid cannabis
After actor Shine Tom Chacko, who is facing charges of using drugs on the sets, the Excise officials arrested three, including Malayalam film directors Khalid Rahman and Ashraf Hamza, and seized 1.63 gm of hybrid cannabis (ganja) from a flat here in the wee hours of Sunday. They were released on station bail around 5.30am. Shalif Mohammad, a friend of the directors, was also arrested from the flat. The Excise sleuths raided the flat around 2am on Sunday. According to the Excise team, cinematographer Sameer Thahir had rented the flat. "We took the three into custody from a flat in Kochi and seized the hybrid ganja. A case is registered against them under sections 20(b) (II) A and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985,' said the official at the Excise squad office in Ernakulam. Excise inspector KP Pramod told media persons that the trio nabbed from the flat are regular drug users. The directors and their friend had reached the flat for discussions related to a movie, he said. "We nabbed them from flat 506 of Purva Grandbay in Kochi. When we raided the flat, they were preparing to consume the ganja. After interrogating them, we confirmed that the three persons had been using ganja for a long time,' said the official. He added that the trio were released on station bail as only 1.5 gm of ganja was seized from them. "However, a detailed probe will be conducted to identify the source of the hybrid ganja," he said. Khalid Rahman is the director of several hit films such as Anuraga Karikkinvellam, Unda, and Thallumala. His latest movie Alappuzha Gymkhana is currently running in packed theatres. Ashraf Hamza is known for movies Thamaasha, Sulaikha Manzil and Bheemante Vazhi. With the arrest of the directors, the alleged drug abuse in the Malayalam film industry is back in the spotlight. Shine Tom Chacko hogged the headlines after a 'cinematic escape' from a hotel raided by DANSAF (District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force) team. He was later released on station bail after interrogation and medical examination. According to official sources, the Excise Department will summon cinematographer-director Sameer Thahir for questioning in connection with the arrest of movie directors on Sunday. A notice will be served to Thahir to appear for interrogation, as giving a space for drug use is also an offence under the NDPS Act, Excise Deputy Commissioner TM Maju said. "We need to interrogate the flat owner in detail. We don't know whether the three accused got access to the flat after convincing him that they are going to have a film discussion,' he said. The official confirmed that 1.63 grams of hybrid ganja, a bong, a device used for inhaling ganja, and a grinder were recovered from the flat. A detailed probe will be conducted to identify the source of the ganja and the devices, he said. "We don't know whether they are drug addicts or not. They only confessed to us that they had used ganja,' said Maju. The excise officials conducted the raid as part of the second phase of Operation Clean State, a crackdown on drugs. "We have observed that hybrid ganja is a new trend among the drug users. We raided the flat based on a tip-off. Initially, they only stated that they work in the film industry. Further interrogation revealed that two of them are famous directors. Shalif Mohammad brought ganja to the directors,' said the official. In the wake of the latest development, the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) Directors' Union suspended filmmakers, Khalid Rahman and Ashraf Hamza from the body. In a statement, the union president Renji Panickar and general secretary GS Vijayan said further steps would be initiated after examining the progress of the ongoing investigation.
Hindustan Times
22-04-2025
- Hindustan Times
Govt viewing allegations, case against actor Shine Tom Chacko seriously: Kerala Law Minister
Kochi, The Kerala government is viewing the drugs-related allegations and case against actor Shine Tom Chacko very seriously, with the police as well as the Excise department effectively intervening in the matter, state Law Minister P Rajeev said on Tuesday. The minister also said that no person or sector would be exempted from the ambit of the law. Rajeev, responding to queries from reporters about the allegations by actress Vincy Aloshious against Chacko, said that the government was considering the matter very seriously and will take strict action against such behaviour as alleged against the actor. He also said that Chacko was acquitted in an earlier case due to the failure of the police probe, according to the courts. The minister said that the investigation back then occurred during the UDF rule, but now the government in power has taken a strict stand in the matter, and all its machinery, including the police and excise, were working in coordination. Meanwhile, the police said that an investigation into the latest drugs case against Chacko was going on and that it would seek expediting of the Forensic Science Laboratory report of the samples taken from the actor. Kochi City Police Commissioner Putta Vimaladitya also told reporters that a lot of things need to be investigated, and calling Chacko before completing that would not be beneficial for the case. He also said that the police will be looking into the names of people who visited the actor when he was staying at the hotel from where he had allegedly fled when a District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force team carried out a raid there. Chacko has been booked under section 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita , and sections 27 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, in connection with that incident. According to the FIR, a District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force team under Kochi City Police found the actor and another person using drugs and engaged in a criminal conspiracy in Room No 314 of a hotel near Kaloor last week. Upon noticing the police, Chacko allegedly fled through a window in an alleged attempt to destroy evidence. Vincy Aloshious has filed a complaint with the Film Chamber, accusing Chacko of inappropriate behaviour while under the influence of drugs on a movie set. She has also informed the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists about his misconduct on the sets of the unreleased film 'Soothravakyam', though no police complaint has been filed. The Ernakulam Additional Sessions Court had recently acquitted Chacko in a 2015 drug case, citing procedural lapses by the police during the seizure and arrest.
