The ganja seized by the Kochi City police in an overnight raid at the men’s hostel of Government Polytechnic College, Kalamassery, in Ernakulam.
| Photo Credit: special arrangement.
In a major overnight raid that lasted till the early morning hours of Friday (March 14, 2025), the Kochi City police seized nearly 2 kg of ganja and arrested three students from the men’s hostel of the Government Polytechnic College, Kalamassery, in Kochi in Ernakulam district of Kerala.
The arrested were identified as Adityan, 20, a final-year Mechanical Engineering student from Alapuzha; Abhiraj, 21, a final-year Automobile Engineering student from Karunagapally; and Akash, 21, a final-year Chemical Engineering student from Kollam.
While Akash was found in possession of a medium quantity of around 1.9 kg of ganja and is likely to be remanded, the other two were found in possession of less than 3 grams, which qualifies as small quantity, and hence have been granted station bail, according to police sources.
While around 1.9 kg was seized from one room, around 10 grams were seized from another. Other than the arrested, a few others students had managed to flee upon seeing the police.
Intelligence reports
“We had received intelligence reports that ganja was being bought in large quantity as part of the Holi celebrations on Friday. Reportedly, donations were also collected from the students for buying ganja,” said P.V. Baby, Assistant Commissioner, Thrikkakara.
Other items seized
The police also seized weighing machines and zip covers reportedly used for selling ganja in smaller quantities, indicating that sale of the ganja was also involved.
Though police personnel in plainclothes had been deployed near the hostel in the past, it was for the first time that the police had raided the hostel.
A large police contingent of nearly 50 personnel drawn from the Kalamassery police, the narcotics cell, and the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) was part of the raid that started around 9 p.m. on Thursday.
Published – March 14, 2025 10:09 am IST