THRISSUR: Excise Minister M B Rajesh has said strict action would be initiated against officers who falsely implicated a beauty parlour owner in Chalakudy of carrying lysergic acid diethylamid (LSD) stamps. He was responding to media persons in connection with the case in Kottayam on Saturday.
Sheela Sunny, who runs the ‘She Style’ beauty parlour in Chalakudy South, was arrested on February 27 and jailed for 72 days on charges of possessing the synthetic drug. However, a laboratory test revealed that the seized packets did not contain the drug. She received bail on May 10.
Rajesh said the officer who arrested Sheela was transferred following an inquiry. “The excise crime branch wing is conducting a probe and strict action will be taken against all officers involved. There won’t be any leniency,” he said.
The minister also warned of action against those who act with vested interests in the department’s initiative against drug trafficking. Lack of test kits blamed Interestingly, excise officers placed the blame for Sheela’s arrest on the lack of test kits. According to reports, officers received a tip-off about drug deals surrounding the 51-year-old’s parlour. The informer had clearly shared details of places where the drugs were kept, making the task easy for officers. On the day of the arrest, they seized an LSD stamp-like substance from Sheela’s vanity bag and two-wheeler.
“They didn’t even inspect the parlour and headed straight for my bag and then to the two-wheeler. I spent 72 days in jail without even knowing what the seized items looked like. This was my first such harrowing experience. There were moments when I even contemplated suicide, but I was determined to prove my innocence. Fortunately, the test results of the materials seized came back negative,” said Sheela, a native of Pariyaram, Chalakudy.
Libel suit planned
“Surprisingly enough, even though the department received the chemical report, they didn’t inform Sheela about it. It was when I enquired about the status of the case that we learned about it,” said Niffin Kareem, Sheela’s lawyer.
“Moreover, when the Irinjalakuda excise inspector was transferred after authorities found fault with his action, Sheela was not informed about this either.” The lawyer said his client wants to know the truth behind the case. “We will move the court to slash the charges against her. A defamation suit will be moved after understanding the case thoroughly,” Niffin added.
An officer with the deputy excise commissioner’s office said the lack of test kits to identify the drug had acted against them. “As officers, we receive many tip-offs and we cannot afford to not act on them. But, if there was a test kit on the spot, the arrest could have been avoided,” he added. He said that the crime branch investigation into the case was progressing and everything would be revealed after that.
Suspicions raised
Sheela has raised doubts about the involvement of the sister of her daughter-in-law in the
conspiracy to plant the fake LSD stamps and provide false information to excise officers.
“I had to take a loan to set up the parlour and marry off my daughter. I have been paying off the dues with the income from the parlour. But now that I am cut off from my only source of income, I have people breathing down my neck seeking money,” said Sheela, who has been running the beauty parlour for seven years.
(With inputs from Kottayam bureau)