After a thorough interrogation, Anuraj, a college student studying mechanical engineering and a native of the Kollam district, was placed under arrest on Sunday.
A third-year student, the main suspect in the case, was taken into custody on Sunday, according to cops with knowledge of the situation, three days after police found almost two kilograms of ganja in the men’s dorm rooms at the Government Polytechnic College in Kalamassery, Ernakulam district.
An officer at the Kalamassery police station, where the FIR was filed, stated on condition of anonymity that Anuraj, a mechanical engineering student at the college and a native of the Kollam district, was taken into custody on Saturday and formally arrested on Sunday following a thorough round of interrogation.
He was charged under parts of the NDPS Act of 1985 for obtaining ganja and preparing to distribute it to college students under the guise of Holi festivities on campus. The officer stated that he would be brought before the magistrate and would probably be placed under judicial custody on remand.
After the Kalamassery police conducted a surprise raid in the men’s hostel rooms on March 13, this is the sixth arrest in the case to date. According to police, the raid was carried out in response to a letter from the college principal warning authorities about potential drug use during Holi festivities.
Police reported that they found 9.7 grams of ganja in one room and 1.9 kg in another during the raid. Two college students, Adithyan and Abhiraj R, as well as two former students, Ashique and Shalik, were previously detained for their roles in drug usage and distribution.
Abhiraj R, the fifth accused, was a general secretary of the college union and a member of the CPM student wing SFI. He was dismissed from the group after being arrested by police in connection with the narcotics case. According to the police, they also found ganja in his hostel room.
According to the police, Anuraj is considered the main suspect in the case because he reportedly supplied illegal goods within the dormitory. Preliminary results indicate that he purchased 4 kg of ganja in total, of which 2 kg were delivered to the college residence hall. According to other students who have been arrested in this case thus far, Anuraj carried the drugs inside the hostel. The officer stated that a comprehensive investigation is being conducted on his financial dealings.
SFI’s state president, M Sivaprasad, claimed on Sunday that the Congress and its student wing, KSU, were trying to harm the organization’s reputation.
“The SFI has been at the forefront of the state’s anti-drug campaign. Rather, KSU and the Congress are working to discredit SFI and spread false information about us. Even before the accusations against us surfaced in the media, Congress leader VD Satheesan was fast to point the finger at the SFI, Sivaprasad stated.
