Tripura ex-cop turns drug smuggler, held with 20 kg ganja near Central

CHENNAI: The police have arrested a Tripura man, a suspended policeman, for smuggling over 20 kg of ganja into the city. He was arrested by a special team after he exited from the Chennai Central railway station on Wednesday.

The arrested person was identified as Amit Debbarma (31) of West Tripura. The Anti-Narcotics Intelligence Unit (ANIU) of the city police had received a tip-off about a man reaching Chennai with a stash of ganja, and they kept vigil in coordination with the Periamet police.

The police teams noticed the accused loitering suspiciously on Pallavan Salai and rounded him up for questioning. He gave evasive replies, after which the police searched his bag and found the ganja package.

Investigations revealed that Amit was part of the Tripura police and was suspended. He also has a criminal case against him in Tripura, police said.

In another case in the Tiruvanmiyur police station limits, the police arrested a 37-year-old man after he was caught in possession of 54.69 grams of methamphetamine.

The accused, Syed Kabir Taj Meeran of Injambakkam, was apprehended by a joint team of ANIU and local police near the Tiruvanmiyur RTO on Wednesday, and his car was seized. Probe revealed that the accused sourced the drug from Bengaluru and sold it to clients here.

The accused in both cases were produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.