Son of former T.N. DGP held for possession of cocaine 

A special police team arrested him and two other suspects in the car parking area of Alandur Metro Station in Chennai

The Chennai City police have arrested the son of a former Director General of Police (DGP) of Tamil Nadu on charges of possessing cocaine. Two more people were arrested with him, and narcotic drugs were seized from them. 

The police said after they received information about the alleged drug trafficking, a special team of personnel rounded up the suspects in the car parking area of Alandur Metro Station in Chennai on Thursday (October 24, 2024).

The arrested persons have been identified as Arun Ravindranath, 40, of Shenoy Nagar — the son of former IPS officer, A. Ravindranath, who had held the post of DGP in the State — S. Magellan, 42, of Mudichur, and John Ezha, 39, of Nigeria.

The police seized 3.8 g of cocaine, ₹1.02 lakh, and two mobile phones from them. A case was registered against them under the provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

A search has been launched to trace three more suspects involved in the case. Police sources said that Ezha sourced the drug from Nigeria and smuggled it through his associates in Bengaluru. 

Drive against drugs

On the orders of City Police Commissioner A. Arun, the police personnel had conducted a drive to prevent the smuggling and sale of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in the city. On October 18, a special team mounted surveillance on Thiruveedhiamman Koil Street in Arumbakkam and nabbed a couple — K. Deepak, 31, and his wife Dolly Metha, 27 — who were found to be in possession of methamphetamine for sale.

On October 20, three more peddlers — S. Arunkumar, 28, S. Siddharth, and R. Deepakraj — were arrested for selling methamphetamine near Naduvangarai bridge. Following the trio’s confession, three more suspects, including a Nigerian national named Kafeeb Klons, 32, were arrested on Tuesday (October 22).  

Following the drive against drug trafficking, a special team of the Arumbakkam police on Wednesday (October 23, 2024) arrested a 45-year-old man for smuggling methamphetamine from Andhra Pradesh. The arrested person was identified as Viswanathan of Ongole in the neighbouring State. The police team posed as buyers and asked him to come to Chennai, where they arrested him though he attempted to escape. The police seized 1 kg of methamphetamine from him.

Meanwhile, another special team of police arrested a group of six college students and a 38-year-old person who allegedly set up a lab at one of their homes in Kodungaiyur and attempted to manufacture methamphetamine. A senior police officer said, “We are conducting an intensified drive against drugs to prevent smuggling, stocking, and selling. An all-out effort is being undertaken to curb the menace in the city limits.”

Published - October 25, 2024 04:12 pm IST