Karnataka: MBBS student arrested for allegedly peddling hydro weed worth Rs 1 crore
Mangaluru: A final year MBBS student along with her accomplice was arrest by the city crime branch after 1.2 kg hydro weed (marijuana) worth Rs 30 lakh to Rs 1 crore was secured from them on Wednesday.
The accused has been identified as a 27-year-old final-year MBBS student from Kanyakumari who was staying in Surathkal, while the other accused is a 24-year-old BBA graduate from Mangalpady in Kasaragod district in Kerala.
The duo was presented before the court, and the medico was taken into police custody for further questioning. The police also seized a car and two mobile phones from the accused.
As per DCP Hariram Shankar, after analyzing the quality of the weed, authorities found that it may cost from Rs 2,000 up to Rs 25,000 per gram. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) will be consulted to determine the exact value of the seized product, reports Times of India. Police are trying to nab the prime accused, a doctor from Kasargod who has most probably escaped the country. The accused travelled to Mangaluru from Kanhangad by train and was acquainted with the MBBS medico and the BBA graduate.
As per a recent media reports, after receiving instruction from the third accused, the medico and the young graduate were going to Derlakatte in a car to hand over the hydro weed to his friend.
Daijiworld reports, Police commissioner N Shashi Kumar said, "The hydro weed ganja is cultivated using the hydroponic technique. This technique is practiced in foreign countries and the drug is exported. We suspect that the hydro weed is brought from a European country. We have produced the accused before the court. We aim to bust the racket of the hydro weed as 1.26 kg of this drug is a huge quantity. As per the internet, the cost can be anywhere between Rs 2,000 to Rs 25,000 for a gram."
The initial investigation suggested that the miscreants are using students of Kasargod, Mangaluru to supply weed. Within the last three months, police have conducted a thorough investigation to nab the drug offenders. After the colleges reopen, the illegal drug traffickers are most likely to be more active. Hence, police are becoming more alert to trace such NDSP (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) cases.
"After Bengaluru, this is probably the only city to get a variety of drug-related cases. Due to its price, hydro weed is generally consumed occasionally by users, and it is suspected the accused may have procured the same for distribution among students in Kasaragod and Mangaluru. In the coming days, with colleges likely to reopen, the vigil will be increased. All cases detected are being closely examined and followed up upon," added one of the officials.
"During our raid, the MBBS student's involvement was revealed in the transactions. When we cracked MDMA cases and arrested nine people including three Nigerian nationals, we not only registered the case but are also backtracking, and doing forward linking of the cases and arresting the others involved," the police commissioner told the daily.
Commenting on the issue of the involvement of other medical students in such crimes, the police commissioner said, "We can't generalize one particular student community and target them. In earlier cases, coolie workers, engineering, and medical students were arrested. There are different categories of people involved in this regard. However, we are finding that a lot of people from Kasargod are involved in the peddling process."
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