The Excise Crime Branch probing the seizure of about 1.20 kg of methamphetamine, a synthetic drug, from a service apartment at Thrikkakara in two separate raids in successive days in last August is now after another accused who is on the run.
Suresh Kumar of Thondayarpettu in Chennai emerged on the scene following the recent arrest of a co-accused, Shamsudheen Sait, who himself had been on the run since the seizure last year. Sait, the 25th accused in one of the two cases to be registered in connection with the seizures and who allegedly played a critical role in arranging the substance, revealed the role of Suresh.
“We have since then arraigned him as the 26th accused as we suspect him to have played an equally important role along with Sait in smuggling the drug to Chennai from Spain using their connections in Sri Lanka. His parents were refugees from Myanmar who settled down in Chennai. He probably used Myanmar connections as well for his drug dealings,” said an investigation officer.
An excise team had been to Suresh’s house at Thondayarpettu earlier this month where he had been till that morning only to abscond by the time the team reached there. The visit by outsiders created a melee of sorts in the colony and that probably served as a warning allowing him to slip off. The mobile tower location showed him to be two kilometres from there for a while before his mobile phone was switched off. It remains so since then.
“Since then we have cultivated some inside sources and has got hold of his new number. We are confident of nabbing him shortly in which case we hope to file the second charge sheet as well,” said the officer who said that Sait’s links to Sri Lanka was instrumental in smuggling the drug here.
The initial drug seizure of around 83 g was made in a joint raid held by the excise and customs on August 18, followed by a second seizure of around 1.1 kg the next day, leading to the registration of two cases.
The charge sheet in the first case filed in the court last month before the arrest of Sait had 25 accused, including three women. All remain in judicial custody, except six accused, including Suresh, who are absconding while three are suspected to have fled the country.
The second case, involving the larger quantity, had six accused, including the five who had travelled to Chennai to smuggle in the drug and the other who funded the bulk purchase. All the six also figured in the first case and are currently in custody.
Meanwhile, the investigation charge has been passed on to Maju T.M., who assumed charge as the new Assistant Excise Commissioner.
Published - March 22, 2022 06:31 pm IST
