CHENNAI: After the surprise raids conducted in suburban hostels on Saturday night, the police arrested 11 people, including seven college students.
Following complaints that college students in areas like Potheri, Maraimalai Nagar, and Kattankulathur were involved in drug use and distribution, Tambaram City Police Commissioner Abhin Dinesh Modak ordered a surprise raid operation. The raids were carried out under the supervision of Additional Commissioner C Mageswari with over 100 police personnel.
The searches were conducted simultaneously at 12 locations, including apartments, houses, private hostels, shops, and roadside stalls. During the raid, police seized 5,250 ganja chocolates, 166 grams of ganja, banned tobacco products, including 300 sachets of gutkha products, hookah-related items, and 10 mobile phones suspected to be used for drug transactions.
Among those arrested were seven college students, all pursuing second and fourth year B.Tech Computer Science at private institutions in the area.
The police have registered seven cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) 2003, at the Maraimalai Nagar police station.
While interacting with the media at the Tambaram Commissioner's office, Commissioner Abhin Dinesh Modak noted that in just this year, police have seized 1,516 kg of ganja in Tambaram limits and arrested 341 persons in drug-related cases. He also said that 1,208 kg of narcotics were destroyed following legal procedures, and 11 persons involved in drug peddling were detained under the Goondas Act.