The police seized 1,000 ganja chocolates weighing 3.6 kg from Bhavani, and also 390 grams of ganja packets. The City Police Commissioner, V Balakrishnan has warned that strict action will be taken against drug peddlers and that the Goondas Act would be invoked against them for causing harm in society.
Coimbatore: The Coimbatore police are taking various measures to beef up vigilance against the circulation of ganja, narcotic pills and tobacco products in the district.
Based on the orders of the Coimbatore City Police Commissioner, V Balakrishnan, the Special Task Force (STF) police have been patrolling the district and arresting drug peddlers. Of late, there has been an increase in the number of arrests of drug peddlers than in the recent past.
Afew weeks ago, the Prohibition and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) conducted a raid in the Saravanampatti area. An unusual chocolate wrapper was found near an empty plot of land in the area which did not resemble the usual chocolate wrapper. 'Cannabis chocolate' was inscribed in Hindi alphabets on the wrapper. The police immediately picked up the wrapper and investigations revealed that there were a large number of cannabis chocolate lovers in Saravanampatti area, with the youth especially addicted to it.
The Prohibition Special Cell police in Saravanampatti began investigating. Coimbatore City Police Commissioner, V Balakrishnan, who heard of the ganja chocolates formed a special team led by the Prohibition Inspector Marimuthu and ordered a massive search operation. Based on this, the Special Task Force (STF) police stationed in Saravanampatti intensified the investigation and it was revealed that the cannabis chocolates were being increasingly consumed by the youth in Coimbatore.
The police decided to resort to a new strategy rather than a routine investigation to nab the ganja chocolate dealers. Accordingly, they got a police official to disguise himself and present himself as a cannabis chocolate lover to nab the drug peddler. The police official in disguise reportedly introduced himself to the North Indian worker for purchasing ganja chocolates and then the Special Cell police which was patrolling the Saravanampatti area nabbed the ganja chocolate dealer.
Subsequently, the interrogation of the youth from North India revealed his identity as Bhavani Shankar Gilal, a native of Odisha. After the Coimbatore police's crackdown on sale of drugs in the recent past, Bhavani decided to sell ganja chocolates. He joined as a welder in a factory in Coimbatore but was actually selling ganja chocolates under cover. He has reportedly been involved in extensive cannabis chocolate business at his place of work as well as outside.
Bhavani reportedly went to Odisha once in 15 days to buy ganja chocolates for Rs. 3 and then sell it for Rs.10-15 in Coimbatore. He sold these ganja chocolates casually, targeting workers from the North as well as the youth of Tamil Nadu. His modus operandi was to roam the bazaar areas like an ordinary person but was actually selling ganja chocolates every day.
It was a consumer who had casually discard the ganja chocolate wrapper on the land that aided in the Prohibition Police nabbing Bhavani. The police have seized 1,000 ganja chocolates weighing 3.6 kg from Bhavani, and also 390 grams of ganja packets.
Following this, the police have registered a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) section and lodged Bhavani in jail. They are also investigating to trace those behind the drug trafficking racket in Coimbatore. City Police Commissioner, V Balakrishnan has warned that strict action will be taken against drug peddlers and that the Goondas Act would be invoked against them for causing harm in society.