COIMBATORE: Four persons, including two college students, were arrested by the Ooty police for collecting and consuming hallucinogenic magic mushrooms from a forest area near Fingerpost in the Nilgiris.

The arrested were identified as Akash (20), a resident of Bombay Castle in Ooty who is pursuing engineering in Coimbatore, his friend Immanuel (19), a college student, and their associates Dhanush (21) and Harish (20).

According to the police, the four were intercepted during a patrol in the Fingerpost area and were found in possession of wild mushrooms believed to have hallucinogenic properties. A case was registered against them, and they were taken into custody.

The police said Akash had earlier been arrested in February 2024 in connection with the death of a 19-year-old nursing student, who allegedly consumed liquor and magic mushrooms during a weekend visit to his residence in Ooty. He was later released on bail and subsequently resumed his engineering studies in Coimbatore.

Investigators alleged that Akash and the three others had recently entered a forest area near Fingerpost to collect wild mushrooms for consumption.

Police officials said certain species of naturally occurring mushrooms with hallucinogenic properties are found in the forests of the Nilgiris, similar to those reported in Kodaikanal. Unaware of the potential health risks, some youngsters allegedly trespass into protected forest areas to collect mushrooms for recreational use.

"Consumption of unidentified wild mushrooms can have serious and, in some cases, fatal consequences. Young people should avoid experimenting with such substances," a police official said.