Police search apartment complex near private university, seize ganja

Police search apartment complex near private university, seize ganja

Crackdown on drug network: Police officials conducted raids in flats near SRM University in Potheri. Special Arrangement

On instructions from Tambaram City Commissioner Abin Dinesh Modak, 168 teams comprising 1,000 policemen conducted searches in the apartment complex housing 688 flats in Potheri; the raids led to seizure of ganja from 15 students; tobacco products, liquor bottles too found

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI 01.09.2024 

The Tambaram City police on Saturday conducted raids in apartments, occupied mostly by college students of a private educational institution, and seized ganja and other narcotic substances from the premises.

Acting on specific information that the students were using drugs, including ganja, Tambaram City Police Commissioner Abin Dinesh Modak instructed his officers to conduct a special raid at the apartment complex. Under the supervision of Additional Commissioner of Police, Tambaram, C. Mageswari, the police personnel carried out the special operation near SRM College at Abode Valley, Potheri.

More than 5,00,000 students attend various colleges and schools within the jurisdiction of the Tambaram Police. These institutions have students from all over the country. Universities, by their sheer size, have students staying at the periphery of their campuses. The students stay at rented buildings in gated societies, which take the shape of micro cities.

Explaining the reason behind the operation, Tambaram City Police Commissioner Mr. Modak said, “The local criminals as well as students who had dropped out, in a well-organised manner create a thriving criminal ecosystem by indulging in selling drugs, running extortion rackets, trading in protection money, and hiring criminals for assaulting innocent students. Hence strict action needs to be taken.”

The Tambaram City Police arranged a massive search operation at Abode Valley apartments in Potheri. This residential complex has 22 towers. Each tower has four floors with eight flats on each floor. There are 688 flats where around 3,000 students reside.

The operation that began early on Saturday morning, was carried out with 1,000 policemen grouped into 168 teams. The searches led to the seizure of ganja from 15 students. Ganja chocolates; bhang; tobacco (hookah) and a huge cache of liquor bottles were also seized. The operation led to registration of 20 cases and arrest of 21 people. The apartment has 60 abandoned two-wheelers and one four-wheeler. Some were suspected to be stolen and verification is in progress, he said.

History-sheeter Selvamani, 29, of Guduvanchery, who had spread his network around the apartment complex, was also secured in the operation and five weapons (swords and knives) used for threatening the university students were recovered, a police press release said.

The police have also arrested the owner of a dhaba from Uttar Pradesh who procured ganja chocolates from the State and sold it to the students. “We have also secured digital data, to further identify the criminals who are perpetrating crime, supplying drugs, and influencing innocent students to consume drugs so that they could be made pawns in the extortion business,” said Mr. Modak.