With the Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) intensifying crackdown on the sale of narcotic substances in Puducherry, the involvement of more students pursuing higher education courses, including medicine, in drug trafficking, has emerged.
In the last few days, the ANTF of the territorial police, have arrested two MBBS students, a medical dropout, a law graduate, and a degree student, for possessing cannabis and MDMA crystals during separate drives in various parts of Puducherry.
According to an ANTF member, the two MBBS students of a premier medical institute along with a dropout from the same college were picked up from an apartment for possessing 3.5 kg of ganja. A cannabis plant grown near the apartment and four mobile phones were also seized from the custody of the three accused.
Investigation into the case, according to police, found the medical dropout hailing from Bhind district in Madhya Pradesh was involved in the trafficking of weed for a long time. “He dropped out of the MBBS course in 2010. The accused developed a network among students to sell ganja. All three were regular users of the drug and later got involved in the trade. All three accused have been remanded to judicial custody,” said an officer.
In another major drug haul, the force arrested a law student and a degree student pursuing BA history from Kalapet, in connection with the sale of MDMA. The ANTF team confiscated 6.73 grams of MDMA from their custody. Three persons, an IT professional from Chennai and two Keralite youths, were also nabbed in connection with supply of the drug.
Among the three, Akshay, a resident of Cochin in Kerala, was involved in several drug peddling cases and one of the main suppliers of MDMA, police said.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Law and Order, Narra Chaitanya told The Hindu that further investigation was on as there are other people involved in the case.
“We are going into the source for procurement of ganja and MDMA so as to break the supply chain. The police will go down heavily on those involved in drug peddling irrespective of their educational background or profession involved. We are hopeful of making more arrests in drug peddling cases in the days to come,” he said.
Published - December 11, 2023 08:22 pm IST
