The Kochi City police arrested a man accused of being a habitual offender under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act.
The arrested is Ramesh Kusuliya of Raiguda in Odisha. He was an accused in two Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) cases involving commercial quantities of ganja, registered by the Ernakulam Central and Kalamassery police in October and November last year. The police suspect him to be a key accused in smuggling ganja from Odisha and selling it in various districts in Kerala.
The Central police had arrested two Odisha natives with over 24 kilograms of suspected ganja from near the South railway station. An examination of their mobile phone call records and their interrogation led the police to Ramesh who allegedly sold them ganja and helped smuggle it into Kerala.
The Kalamassery police arrested him along with another six persons with over 59 kilograms of suspected ganja. The PITNDPS Act was invoked against him on the instructions of District Police Chief (Kochi City) Putta Vimaladitya.
Narcotic Cell Assistant Commissioner Abdul Salam prepared a proposal based on a report submitted by Ernakulam Central Inspector Aneesh Joy. Deputy Commissioner Aswathy Gigi submitted a report based on the proposal, and it was approved by the screening committee and the government. He was charged under Section 3(1) (detention to prevent engaging in illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances) of PITNDPS Act.
Ramesh, who was undergoing imprisonment at the Ernakulam district jail, was shifted to the Poojappura Central Jail in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
Published – June 14, 2025 12:34 am IST
