Coimbatore police arrested a 69-year-old medical shop owner from Hubballi, Karnataka, for supplying sedative and painkiller pills to the city. The arrest followed an earlier crackdown on drug peddlers in May.
Coimbatore: The Coimbatore police have arrested a medical shop owner from Hubballi, Karnataka, for his alleged involvement in supplying sedative and painkiller pills to the city. Vasanth Shetty, 69, owner of Karnataka Medical Stores, was apprehended by a special team from the Karumbukadai police on Saturday.
The arrest came after a special team from Coimbatore visited Hubballi on Friday. Shetty was subsequently brought to Coimbatore, produced before a judicial magistrate, and remanded to judicial custody. He is currently lodged at the Coimbatore Central Prison.
According to a police officer, drug peddlers were purchasing pills from Vasanth at ₹20 per pill and selling them to users in Coimbatore for ₹300 to ₹400. This significant markup indicates the lucrative nature of the illegal trade.
This arrest is linked to a previous case from May when the Karumbukadai police arrested V Praveen Shetty, 36, from Dharwad near Old Hubballi, for supplying pills to Coimbatore. Praveen, who worked in Vasanth's pharmacy, was caught selling tapentadol, a painkiller, and nitrazepam, a sedative.
Along with Praveen, four other individuals were arrested in May: A Sahul Amit, 27, from Kurichi Pirivu; K Murugan, 27, from Sowripalayam; K Akbar Ali, 28, from Sunnambu Kalavai near Kuniyamuthur; and A Riyas Khan, 24, from Thiruvalluvar Nagar in Kuniyamuthur. These individuals were allegedly buying pills from Praveen and selling them to youths in Coimbatore.
During the May operation, the Karumbukadai police seized 116 tapentadol tablets, 3g of synthetic drugs, several strips of nitrazepam, syringes, three mobile phones, and various tobacco products from the accused.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the pills were initially brought from Mumbai to a super stockist named Rajesh in Hubballi, from where Praveen and Vasanth procured them. The police are currently trying to trace Rajesh's whereabouts to further unravel the supply chain.
This series of arrests highlights the ongoing efforts of the Coimbatore police to crack down on the illegal drug trade, particularly the distribution of sedative and painkiller pills that are being misused for non-medical purposes.
The arrest came after a special team from Coimbatore visited Hubballi on Friday. Shetty was subsequently brought to Coimbatore, produced before a judicial magistrate, and remanded to judicial custody. He is currently lodged at the Coimbatore Central Prison.
According to a police officer, drug peddlers were purchasing pills from Vasanth at ₹20 per pill and selling them to users in Coimbatore for ₹300 to ₹400. This significant markup indicates the lucrative nature of the illegal trade.
This arrest is linked to a previous case from May when the Karumbukadai police arrested V Praveen Shetty, 36, from Dharwad near Old Hubballi, for supplying pills to Coimbatore. Praveen, who worked in Vasanth's pharmacy, was caught selling tapentadol, a painkiller, and nitrazepam, a sedative.
Along with Praveen, four other individuals were arrested in May: A Sahul Amit, 27, from Kurichi Pirivu; K Murugan, 27, from Sowripalayam; K Akbar Ali, 28, from Sunnambu Kalavai near Kuniyamuthur; and A Riyas Khan, 24, from Thiruvalluvar Nagar in Kuniyamuthur. These individuals were allegedly buying pills from Praveen and selling them to youths in Coimbatore.
During the May operation, the Karumbukadai police seized 116 tapentadol tablets, 3g of synthetic drugs, several strips of nitrazepam, syringes, three mobile phones, and various tobacco products from the accused.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the pills were initially brought from Mumbai to a super stockist named Rajesh in Hubballi, from where Praveen and Vasanth procured them. The police are currently trying to trace Rajesh's whereabouts to further unravel the supply chain.
This series of arrests highlights the ongoing efforts of the Coimbatore police to crack down on the illegal drug trade, particularly the distribution of sedative and painkiller pills that are being misused for non-medical purposes.