The Kochi City police have registered eight cases at six different police stations against Syju Thankachan, an accused in the Chakkaraparambu accident case, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for consumption of synthetic and natural drugs.
Cases have been registered at Panangadu, South, Maradu, Thrikkakara, Infopark and Fort Kochi police stations. More cases are likely to be registered against him.
“We have bunched up instances of use of drugs in terms of days and locations and will register separate cases,” said C.H. Nagaraju, District Police Chief (Kochi City). The move comes close on the heels of discovery of videos and images of parties attended by the accused in which drugs were widely used.
The police have not ruled out the possibility of Syju being involved in dealing in drugs as well. They feel that since he has been found in the company of so many different groups, he could either be the supplier or the common link.
The police have also identified most persons who attended those parties and are in the process of tracking them down. They could also end up as accused for consumption of drugs.
Meanwhile, efforts by the police to get the owner of the hotel No. 18, Roy. J. Vayalat, discharged from hospital proved in vain on Thursday. He is recuperating after undergoing angioplasty. The cardiologist treating him told the police that his blood pressure was unstable.
Roy is supposed to appear before the police on the first Monday after his discharge. They suspect him to be delaying the discharge for fear of being confronted along with Syju.
The police are confident that they have a solid case despite not being able to retrieve the hard disk, which is supposed to contain crucial evidence from the party at the hotel prior to the accident. “As such, we have enough evidence, including CCTV footage of the accident, to prove the charges,” said Mr. Nagaraju.
