A history-sheeter ended his life on Sunday after his son was arrested for allegedly smuggling huge quantity of ganja.
Following information that huge quantity of ganja was being smuggled in two vehicles from Andhra Pradesh, the anti-narcotics squad of Thoothukudi district alerted their counterparts in Tirunelveli City and Tirunelveli district.
The Tirunelveli City Police, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Tirunelveli East, Vinodh Santharam, intensified surveillance along all major roads entering the city on Saturday night.
When the police team conducting vehicle check at Pottal intersection on Tirunelveli – Madurai four-lane national highway, stopped a mini cargo vehicle and a sedan following the mini cargo vehicle around midnight, the driver of the mini cargo vehicle stopped even as the car managed to flee. While a team surrounded the mini cargo vehicle, another team started chasing the car even as the Tirunelveli City and Tirunelveli District Police were alerted.
The police team recovered 80 kg of ganja in 40 packets from the mini cargo vehicle and arrested its driver Nitish Kumar, 26, of Thaazhaiyooththu.
Even as the hunt was on to detain the car that managed to escape, a police team found the Kerala-registered vehicle abandoned at Karaiyiruppu near Thatchanallur in Tirunelveli city. The police recovered 140 kg of ganja packed in 70 parcels from the car and arrested K. Suresh Kumar, 25, of Thaazhaiyooththu.
On getting information that his son Suresh Kumar had been nabbed by the police with 140 kg of ganja, M. Kalaignar alias Kalaignar Pandian, 48, of Ram Nagar in Thaazhaiyooththu, died by suicide. He was admitted to a private hospital at Vannarpet here where he died on Sunday night.
Police said Kalaignar, who was smuggling rice to Kerala and a few more States, was smuggling ganja from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to be supplied to his customers in various southern districts and Kerala. When the police grilled Nitish Kumar, who was detained with 80 kg of ganja in his mini cargo vehicle during this operation, he reportedly told the police that Suresh Kumar and his father Kalaignar were the kingpins behind this narcotics business.
“So, we’ve seized ₹3 crore-worth 220 kg of ganja from these two persons and further investigations are on to unearth the contacts of Kalaignar and Suresh Kumar in this illegal trade,” said the police.
Police also revealed that Kalaignar was facing 21 cases including 10 rice smuggling cases. Of the 10 ration rice smuggling cases, 6 cases had been registered by the Civil Supplies CID police, Tirunelveli while 2 similar cases were registered in Virudhunagar district. Kalaignar was facing the remaining two more rice smuggling cases in Thoothukudi and Ramanathapuram districts, the police said.
All other cases had been registered in Thaazhaiyooththu (5 cases), Pettai, Sivanthipatti, Seevalaperi, Tirunelveli Junction and Ambasamudram police stations under Indian Penal Code and NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, where each one case had been filed since 2004. Some of these cases had been disposed of by the courts.
(Those in distress or having suicidal tendencies could seek help and counselling by calling State’s health helpline 104 or Chennai-based Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050 and Speak2Us helpline at 9375493754.)
Published – December 08, 2025 05:26 pm IST
