Police mistake crystal sugar for meth, 2 Kerala men jailed for five months

KOZHIKODE: It was last November that Biju Mathew and Manikandan were arrested by Kozhikode Nadakkavu police with what officers alleged was methamphetamine. The two were remand for five months. Last month, however, they were released after chemical tests revealed that the material seized from them was actually crystal sugar.
Biju, a 49-year-old from Kolichal in Kasaragod, is a Gulf-returned driver who went on to drive a private bus on the Kanhangad-Panathur route for decades. He had known Manikandan, 46, of Varam in Kannur, from their earlier days working on container lorries. 'I had just lost my job. I contacted Manikandan seeking job opportunities and it was he who told me about an opening for a container lorry driver in Kozhikode. And on November 25, 2024, I travelled from Kanhangad to take up the work, while Manikandan arrived from Mangaluru. We both rented a room at a lodge in Nadakkavu. Manikandan had with him a 100g pack of crystal sugar that he had bought from Mangaluru. We had some of the contents at night. The Dansaf squad nabbed us while we were on our way for breakfast the next morning. The team surrounded us and handcuffed us. They took the remaining crystal sugar from Manikandan's pocket and accused us of possessing methamphetamine,' recounted Biju.
He said that despite pleading innocence, the officers were adamant. Meanwhile, Manikandan fainted at the spot and was shifted to hospital while Biju was moved to Nadakkavu police station. 'We asked them to carry out a blood test to confirm whether we had used drugs or examine our phones for any sort of communication about drug sales. But the officers ignored us. They could have checked our bank accounts for suspicious transactions. I just had Rs 20 in my account at the time,' said Biju.
Later, the duo were sent to Kozhikode district jail. Since they couldn't afford an advocate, the government arranged one. On April 24 this year, lab results confirmed their innocence. 'My family members, relatives, neighbours, and even my 75-year-old mother, who is sick, suspected me. Though my mother is now convinced of my innocence, I'm still regarded a drug addict in my parish and locality. I have not even seen methamphetamine. In the FIR, police added that we had confessed to the crime. We were not given the opportunity to make our case,' said Biju.
According to police, there was no delay on their part. 'The holdup at the forensic department's end is normal. Moreover, as the crystal sugar in the packet was in the form of finer granules, it put us off,' an officer said.
'Hundreds of NDPS cases are reported in the district and sometimes officers are unable to confirm the substance. In such cases, we have to wait for forensic test results. We had sent the samples on time,' said Prajeesh N, SHO, Nadakkavu station.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Indian Express

3 hours ago

• Indian Express

Foreigner arrested at Mumbai airport for smuggling cocaine worth Rs 11 crore from West Africa

Officers with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Sunday arrested an Ivory Coast national at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport for allegedly smuggling cocaine worth Rs 11.39 crore into India from a West African country. The accused foreigner, identified as Ane Charles Joselin Kouame, had concealed the cocaine-stuffed capsules by ingesting them. The agency suspects a large-scale racket could be behind the smuggling. The central agency on Sunday stated that on receiving specific intelligence regarding an Ivory Coast national who would be smuggling narcotics into India, DRI officers intercepted a male passenger who had arrived at Mumbai airport from Sierra Leone on Thursday. During questioning, Kouame admitted to having ingested capsules containing narcotic drugs for smuggling them into India. He was immediately admitted to a nearby government hospital. During his stay at the hospital over the past two days, the foreigner has expelled 67 capsules containing 1.139 kg of cocaine, which is valued at Rs 11.39 crore in the international illicit market, the DRI stated. The recovered cocaine was seized under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and the accused passenger was subsequently placed under arrest. The DRI is further probing the matter and trying to find out details of the person who was supposed to receive the contraband from the accused, who was playing the role of a carrier in lieu of a commission, sources said. The agency is also checking if the accused had come to India in the past with the intention of smuggling, sources added.

India Gazette

4 hours ago

• India Gazette

Delhi aims for a drug-free city by 2027

New Delhi [India], June 23 (ANI): The Special Crime Branch of Delhi Police, led by Special CP Devesh Chandra Srivastava, is working towards making Delhi drug-free by 2027, as envisioned by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. Srivastava emphasised that the fight against drug abuse requires a collaborative effort from the public, education, health, and drug control departments, and law enforcement agencies. The Delhi government's initiative to make the city drug-free by 2027 is a significant step towards addressing the issue of drug abuse and promoting a healthier society. Speaking to the reporters on Sunday, Devesh Chandra Srivastava said, 'The fight against drug abuse is not that of the police alone. We need the cooperation of the public as well as all departments like education, health and drug control department. We are all fighting against drug abuse together. The Lieutenant Governor has given us the vision of a drug-free Delhi by 2027. Meaningful efforts are being made for Chief Minister also participated in today's program and assured that the Delhi government and Delhi Police will work together against this evil.' The Delhi government and Delhi Police are working together to tackle drug abuse, with the Chief Minister assuring support for the initiative. The campaign aims to raise awareness about the dangers of drug abuse and involve the public in the effort to create a drug-free society. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora also attended the program, which was held at Kartavya Path in the National capital to mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. She assured that the Delhi government and Delhi Police will work together against this evil. Last month, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Delhi Police Crime Branch arrested five individuals and dismantled a drug syndicate operating in the North Campus area of Delhi University, officials said. According to officials, the accused were found in possession of 2,360 Tramadol-based capsules and 135 bottles of codeine-based syrup--both banned for non-prescription use, valued at over Rs 1 lakh in the international market. DCP, ANTF Crime Apoorva Gupta stated that the action is part of the ongoing anti-drug campaign under the Government of India's 'Zero Tolerance' policy and the 'Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.' Acting on a tip-off, ANTF officials arrested Manish Bhatle (26), who was found carrying two sacks containing illegal drugs near Shri Ram Institute, University Road. He failed to produce any medical prescriptions or purchase invoices and was taken into custody on the spot. A drug inspector from the Drug Control Department confirmed the recovered substances were prohibited under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, they said. (ANI)

Hindustan Times

7 hours ago

• Hindustan Times

Punjab: Three houses of drug smugglers razed

Jun 23, 2025 08:08 AM IST Three illegally constructed houses belonging to drug smugglers were razed in the district on Sunday, the police said. These houses belonged to Manjit Kaur, Jaswinder Kaur and Rani Kaur. They were accused of building houses on public land. A demolition drive in progress in Bathinda on Sunday. (ANI) Officials said the action was taken after the accused failed to furnish reply to the notices served by the civil authorities about the charge of undertaking construction on 'encroached' land. The senior superintendent of police (SSP) mentioned in a press release that these women had multiple cases of drug peddling registered against them. Two houses were located in Dhobiana Basti, an urban slum tagged officially as the drug hotspot, while another razed house was in Bhagta Bhai Ka village. Manjit Kaur has faced 10 cases under the NDPS since 2018 while Rani was involved in three cases under the NDPS Act and a murder case, the police stated. A statement by the SSP office said that Jaswinder had one case of drug peddling against her. On June 16, the Bathinda police had carried out a similar bulldozer action in the same locality to demolish two houses, which were said to be illegally built.