More than seven months after arresting two college students on the charge of possessing 21 grams of MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) from a rented room at Edappally, the city police on Thursday arrested another youngster allegedly for whom the drug was smuggled in from Bengaluru.
The arrested was identified as Muhammed Shifas, 20, of Aluva. According to the police, he had allegedly paid for the drug, which was reportedly brought from a Nigerian in Bengaluru for ₹40,000. The Nigerian had since been arrested.
Ahammad Yasin and Muhammad Shahad, youngsters from Aluva, were picked up in a police raid on the evening of March 2. During their custodial interrogation, the duo allegedly confessed to have bought the drug for Shifas for which they had gone to Bengaluru on a rented car on February 27.
There they met their friend Muhammed Riyas, also from Aluva, who was a student there and stayed in his room. Shifas then transferred the money online to Shahad’s account who in turn transferred it to the account of Riyas’s room-mate.
Later, they withdrew the money using the latter’s ATM card and bought the drugs before returning to the city where they were arrested a couple of days later. Riyas surrendered before the court on October 7. It was his custodial interrogation that led to the arrest of the Nigerian.
The police said that Shifas and the group had taken a room on rent adjoining the building from where the duo was arrested. But Shifas went into hiding as soon the initial arrests were made. More arrests were likely in the case, the police said.
District Police Chief (Kochi City) Vijay Sakhare had formed a team under Thrikkakara Assistant Commissioner K.M. Gigimon to probe the case. A team led by Inspector A. Ananthalal, Sub Inspectors Bibin and Josy, and Assistant Sub Inspectors Anil Kumar and Madhu made the arrest.
