KOCHI: Ten youths, who have been implicated in various criminal cases, were arrested by the Kochi city police for allegedly possessing MDMA.
Among those arrested were Sarath M S, 25, of Kunnamkulam, Mahesh T V, 22, of Palakkad, Mohammed Ajmal, 23, of Ponnani, Jithin M M, 21, of Thrissur, Mubasheer, 23, from Ponnani, Mohammed Shafeeq, 23, from Ponnani, Sabir A V, 25, from Ponnani, Akash N V, 20, from Eddappal, Shyam Sudheer, 23, from Vattakulam, Malappuram, and Navaneeth V K, 24, from Ponnani.
Their arrest followed a search operation prompted by a tip-off received by city police commi s s ioner S Shyam Sundar. On Wednesday night, a police team led by Ernakulam Town South police inspector Premananda Krishnan and the Kochi City DANSAF team conducted a search at a rented residence located on the Satyanarayana Lane near Kadavanthra Pennethu Temple where the suspects were residing.
During the search, 3.45 grams of MDMA, intended for distribution and abuse, were seized from their possession. The police said that the group had arrived in Kochi city for criminal activities and were arrested a f t e r two day s of surveillance.
Among the arrested, Mahesh and Sarath are facing charges in multiple criminal cases, including murder and drug trafficking, and were deported under KAAPA. Mohammed Shafeeq is implicated in cases of attempted murder and drug peddling, while Mohammed Ajmal is accused in cases of drug smuggling and assault. Besides, Akash, Navaneeth, and Shyam Sudheer are also accused in cases related to drug peddling.