Four youths held in anti-narcotics drive in Kochi
The accused were booked under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and remanded to custody.
KOCHI: In a major anti-drug operation in the city on the orders of the City Police Commissioner, the shadow police busted a racket operating around shopping malls and educational institutions and arrested four youths. Police seized from them ganja, hashish and nitrazepam tablets. Kannur native Shibu Mathew (23), Mamangalam native Loui Bennet (22) were arrested by the Shadow Police in association with Palarivattom police. Ernakulam native Vinu Balaksrishnan (25) and Aluva native Peter Kadavanthra were arrested by Shadow Police in association with the Central police.
The accused were booked under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and remanded to custody. Vinu Balakrishnan alias Kim Cat was arrested from near a popular shopping mall here with 13 packets of hashish. He used bring it from Goa and Bangalore and solicit customers through Facebook and WhatsApp and sell it for as high a price as Rs 3000 per packet.
Peter was overpowered with the support of people in the area near the Ernakulam South railway station while he tried to sell nitrozepam tablets. Shibu Mathews and Lois Bennet used to operate from a rented house in Palarivattom. Their target was school students whom they trapped with ganja in small plastic offered for Rs 100 per packet.