A group of notorious drug peddlers and their relatives thrashed a special police team attached to the MKB Nagar police and damaged their vehicle in Pulianthope on Wednesday.
The incident occurred when the team was carrying out a surprise check in order to nab an offender and found the drug peddlers in possession of ganja.
Following the incident, eleven persons including five women were arrested in K.P. Park in Pulianthope on Thursday and one kilogram of ganja was seized.
The police said of the arrested persons, Kumar (28) and Ganesh (28) were drug peddlers. The other arrested persons — Ramesh (22), Suresh (28), Saravanan (32), Vignesh (20), Valli (37), Usha (30), Gandhimathi (22), Lakshmi (40) and Chinnaponnu (45) — are relatives of the drug peddlers.
Around 9.30 p.m. on Wednesday, a special police team led by K. Natraj, inspector (crime), MKB Nagar police, went to K.P. Park following information that a suspect, wanted in many cases of theft in MKB Nagar, was hiding in the locality. During their surprise checks on various houses, they found the two men, Kumar and Ganesh, in possession of ganja.
“During our checks, we found small packets of ganja in the pockets of the two men. When we tried to take them to the police station, their relatives resisted it,” said a police officer.
As the police team had arrived in plainclothes and an unmarked SUV, relatives and neighbours of the drug peddlers reportedly mistook the police personnel for members of another gang.
Despite the police team stating they were from the police department, the crowd remained unconvinced and attacked the team. They also smashed the windows and the windshields of the SUV. As the situation spiralled out of control, one of the policemen alerted the control room. Soon after, more policemen reached the spot and arrested the drug peddlers and their relatives.
According to the police, the one kilogram of ganja had been kept in 50 packets for retail sale in the neighbourhood. The other packets were seized from the homes of Kumar and Ganesh, the police said.
A case under NDPS Act has been registered against them by the Basin Bridge police. “Except for two of the women, who got bail on Thursday as they have young children, the others have been remanded and sent to Puzhal prison,” said a police officier.
The police said areas such as K.P. Park and P.K. Colony in Pulianthope, the Goods Shed area in Tondiarpet, and Royapuram and Kasimedu had gained notoriety for drug peddling.
