Arrest of two directors with ‘hybrid ganja': excise serves notice on director Sameer Thahir
The excise officials have served a notice directing cinematographer-turned-director Sameer Thahir to appear before the agency in connection with the incident in which Malayalam movie directors Khalid Rahman and Ashraf Hamsa were nabbed with 1.5 g of suspected hybrid ganja during a pre-dawn raid on Sunday.
They were arrested from an apartment near Marine Drive that belonged to Mr. Thahir. Reportedly, he has been asked to appear within a week. Another person, Shalif Muhammad, was also arrested along with the directors.
Among other things, the excise may ask Mr. Thahir whether he was aware of and had given consent to the use of ganja in his apartment, an offence which may attract the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act Section 25A (punishment for using property for illegal drug activities). The apartment is purportedly being used for film-related discussions and work.
According to excise officials, the director duo was about to use ganja when they were nabbed from the apartment. Shalif had reportedly bought the contraband from a supplier in Kerala. While the excise has details about the supplier, including his mobile phone number, he could not be tracked yet. More details about the source of the drug could be known only after apprehending him, said excise sources.
The accused may be further summoned if the investigation officer gets any fresh leads warranting it. Mr. Rahman is the director of movies Alappuzha Gymkhana, Thallumala and Unda, while Mr. Hamsa directed Thamaasha and Bheemante Vazhi.
Since the quantity in their possession was small, the accused were released on bail. They reportedly claimed that they converged at the apartment to discuss a movie. According to excise sources, the duo had escaped by a whisker in a similar raid at the apartment in March. Since then, the FEFKA Directors' Union has decided to suspend the two directors. The raid was carried out on specific intelligence input, complete with the apartment details.
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