Three police constables in the Nilgiris district were placed under suspension on Tuesday after a departmental probe in a drug trafficking case revealed that they had procured and consumed ganja while on duty.
The suspended personnel are Abisekaran of Erumadu Police Station, Mayakannan of Kotagiri Police Station, and Santhakumar of Masinagudi Police Station. The suspension orders were issued by Nilgiris Superintendent of Police N. S. Nisha after an internal inquiry confirmed their involvement.
The action follows a series of arrests made after a routine vehicle check conducted by Ooty Town Central Police on January 21. During the check, police intercepted Cruz (26), a resident of Ooty, and found ganja in his possession. Further questioning revealed the involvement of Nazeer Ahmed (26), a constable attached to the Ooty Central Police Station, in the sale of the narcotic substance.
Based on Nazeer Ahmed’s confession, police traced the supply chain to Mohanasundaram (34), a resident of Attapadi in Kerala. A subsequent operation led to the seizure of 17.5 kg of ganja from Mohanasundaram’s possession. Cruz, Nazeer Ahmed, and Mohanasundaram were arrested and later remanded in judicial custody.
The case had further ramifications within the police department. Ooty Town Traffic Sub-Inspector Arun and Jayakumar, a special wing constable from Ooty Central Police Station, were transferred to Gudalur and Devala police stations respectively for failing to alert senior officials about the ganja network operating in the area.
During the continued inquiry, investigators found that Abisekaran, Mayakannan, and Santhakumar had purchased ganja from Nazeer Ahmed and consumed it during duty hours. Following this revelation, all three were placed under suspension.
Police officials said further investigation is under way to determine whether any other police personnel were involved in procuring narcotics from the accused constable or linked to the trafficking network.
Source: Times of India
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