College student dies of prescription drug abuse in Coimbatore

Coimbatore District (Rural) Police arrest pharmacy owner who supplied the drug to the youth

The Coimbatore District (Rural) Police, on Sunday, arrested the owner of a pharmacy in connection with the death of an engineering student who allegedly died due to prescription drug abuse. 

The arrested was identified as Muhammad Basheer (53), a native of Kumbakonam. 

The police said that Basheer had supplied tablets of tapentadol, a pain reliever, to the deceased S. Ajaykumar (19), a native of Uthirakosamangai in Ramanathapuram district. 

Ajaykumar was pursuing second year B.E. Civil Engineering in a private college at Othakalmandapam in Coimbatore. He was staying in the hostel room of his friend and, of late, had not been attending classes regularly, the police said.  Ajaykumar was found vomiting in the room around 5 p.m. on July 13. His friends rushed him to a private hospital from where he was referred to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital. However, he died before reaching the hospital.  The Madukkarai police registered a case and started investigation into the incident based on the complaint lodged by Ajaykumar’s father K. Soundarapandian.  During post-mortem, it was found that Ajaykumar’s left hand had needle pricks. It was found that he had been injecting a solution made of tapentadol into his veins. Abuse of prescription drug by the student over a period of time deteriorated his health and eventually led to his death, the police said. 

A police team led by Madukkarai Inspector S. Vairam found tapentadol tablets, used syringes and other materials from the room where Ajaykumar was staying. 

“Basheer owns a pharmacy and had been supplying prescription drugs to customers in different parts of Tamil Nadu. Ajaykumar had purchased pain killer tablets from him,” the Inspector said. 

Basheer was arrested for offences under Section 304 (2) (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder - if act is done with knowledge that it is likely to cause death, but without any intention to cause death, etc) of the Indian Penal Code and two Sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. He was produced before court and remanded in judicial custody. 

Coimbatore District Superintendent of Police V. Badrinarayanan has instructed the personnel attached to all the police stations in rural limits to crack down abuse of prescription drugs and their illegal sale.