KOCHI: The police have found that several IT professionals were customers of the Thrikkakara gang that was caught selling various synthetic drugs. Police and excise officers claim that drug abuse is on the rise among techies, who are becoming an easy target for peddlers. On Thursday, after raiding an apartment in Thrikkakara, the police had arrested three techies, including a woman, working for a leading IT company in Kochi.
Interrogation revealed that the trio had supplied drugs — including MDMA, LSD stamps and hashish — to IT professionals. “We have received information about the people who were receiving drugs from the trio. We will summon those suspected to be frequent buyers of drugs from the gang,” said a police officer privy to the investigation.
The police also suspect that similar drug-peddling groups are active in Kochi, with some of them already under surveillance. G Shreekumar Menon, former director general of the National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics, said the abuse of methamphetamine is on the rise among techies.
“Meth is an energy-boosting drug widely used by people in the IT sector. They have a heavy workload, and some work for long hours even without proper sleep. Some professionals use meth to maintain concentration in such situations,” he said.