Three Arrested in Manipal for Narcotics Trafficking Targeting Students and Workers
Udupi: Manipal police have apprehended three individuals accused of selling marijuana and Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to students and industrial workers in the Manipal region. The arrests follow a raid conducted on August 16 and subsequent investigations, which also led to the detention of four individuals for marijuana consumption.
The accused drug peddlers have been identified as Afshin, 26, from Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala; Manish, 34, from Kasaragod; and Shivanidhi Acharya, 20, from Indrali. The four individuals detained for allegedly consuming marijuana are Ajeesh, 28, from Palakkad district, Kerala; Vipin, 32, from Kollam; Bipin, 24, from Thrissur; and Akhil, 26, from Mallappally.
Acting on credible intelligence regarding the trafficking of marijuana and other narcotics from Bengaluru into Manipal, a police team led by Manipal Police Inspector Mahesh Prasad executed a raid on a room located on the first floor of a building near Narsinghe Temple Road in Ishwar Nagar, Herg Village, on the night of August 16. During the operation, Afshin and Shivanidhi Acharya were taken into custody. Authorities seized 1 kilogram and 237 grams of marijuana, 0.038 grams of LSD strips, a digital weighing scale, Rs 2,000 in cash, and two mobile phones from the suspects.
Further investigation on August 17 led to the arrest of Manish at a flat in Vidyarathna Nagar, Manipal, by Manipal Sub-Inspector Akshaya Kumari. Police recovered 653 grams of marijuana, two digital scales, a marijuana grinder, Rs 3,000 in cash, and a mobile phone from his possession.
Interrogation of Manish revealed that he was distributing marijuana to laborers from Kerala. Consequently, on August 17, Ajeesh, Vipin, Bipin, and Akhil, along with two others, all laborers hailing from Kerala, were subjected to drug consumption tests. Four of them tested positive for marijuana use, and a case has been registered against them at the Manipal Police Station for the consumption of narcotics.
All three accused individuals involved in the sale of narcotics were presented before the court and have been remanded to judicial custody. Notably, Afshin has a prior case registered against him in Manipal in 2023 for selling Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), as well as a separate case in Bekal, Kerala, related to marijuana consumption.
Police reports indicate that Afshin, a former student of a private Ayurvedic college, allegedly targeted engineering students and migrant workers in his drug peddling activities. Shivanidhi Acharya, an engineering student in Mangalore, is accused of selling drugs to students and local residents. Manish, a welder by trade, is alleged to have supplied marijuana to workers arriving in Manipal and its surrounding areas from Kerala and other states.
Under the guidance of Udupi Superintendent of Police (SP) Hariram Shankar, the Manipal police have recently conducted drug tests on students from other states and workers employed in Manipal industries, leading to the discovery of several cases of drug consumption. Ongoing investigations suggest the involvement of individuals from Kerala in drug trafficking within the region.