Students caught in ganja haul as police raids suburban flats

A large scale anti- narcotic operation near a well-known private university on Saturday ended in the arrest of 11 people, including seven students, and seizure of a sizeable quantity of ganja products.

Tambaram City Police Commissioner Abhin Dinesh Modak on Monday said police are not targetting any particular educational institution and that similar raids would be carried out in the vicinity of other educational institutions as well, upon receiving specific information.

The Tambaram City Police conducted a special raid on Saturday at Potheri, Maraimalai Nagar, and Kattankulathur areas with the primary objective of curbing the menace of synthetic drugs and related illegal activities. Multiple police teams were formed, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Pawan Kumar Reddy, and comprised around 100 police personnel and officers.

The raid was conducted simultaneously at 12 locations including five apartments, two individual houses where students of the private university reside, a pan stall, two petty shops and a cafe.

Elaborating on the operation, Mr. Modak said police teams seized 166 grams of ganja, 5,250 ganja- laced chocolates, hookah-related items from unauthorised hookah centres, illicit tobacco products and 10 mobile phones that were allegedly used in sale of drugs.

The arrested students studying second and fourth year B. Tech computer science. The students were granted bail by the court, while a key accused who was kingpin selling from a petty shop was remanded.

Mr. Modak said more than 350 cases have been registered this year and an equal number of accused have been arrested for peddling synthetic drugs and ganja or its derivatives. More than 1,500 kg of ganja were seized and 1,200 kg have been destroyed so far this year, he added.

Mr. Modak said, “ We have taken up the matter with educational institutions and told them to take strict action against people who are indulging in distribution, trafficking and possession of drugs. We have already communicated with the educational institutions on this. It is not any particular institution. We will continue this operation around other educational institutions as well. We are very firm in our commitment to eradication of drug sale and abuse, in line with the government’s stance that the State must be free from drugs”.

“We have instructed the educational institutions to be firm with their students and also the people who are indulging in such types of offence,” he said.