Gym Trainer Among Two Arrested for Selling Stimulant Drugs Without Prescription in Mettupalayam

Coimbatore: Two men, including a gym trainer from Coimbatore, were arrested in Mettupalayam for allegedly transporting and selling medicines for medical use without a doctor’s prescription. Police seized 1,747 bottles of the stimulant drug, each containing 10 ml, valued at around ₹2 lakh, along with a motorcycle allegedly used for transportation.

Based on a confidential tip-off received by Coimbatore SP Pavan Kumar regarding the transportation of medicines without prescription along the Mettupalayam–Sirumugai Road, a police team comprising Inspector Gnanasekaran and SI Sarathkumar conducted vehicle checks at Arivoli Nagar on the route, acting on the instructions of DSP Bhaskaran.

During the vehicle check, police intercepted a motorcycle and reportedly found the two occupants giving contradictory answers. They were taken to the police station for further questioning.

During the inquiry, the two were identified as Arun Parthiban (28), a gym trainer from the Hopes College area of Coimbatore, and Rathina Hari (27), a two-wheeler mechanic from the same locality. Police reportedly found that both were using stimulant medicines to prevent fatigue during workouts.

Further investigation allegedly revealed that they had been procuring medicines from Delhi through online channels and selling them on orders to gyms in Coimbatore, Mettupalayam and other areas without doctors’ prescriptions.

Police said the medicines, intended for medical use to prevent blood loss during surgical procedures, were allegedly being marketed for use to reduce physical fatigue during workouts.

Police registered a case against the two under the relevant provisions of the Indian Medical Council Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and arrested them. The 1,747 bottles of 10 ml stimulant medicine and the motorcycle were seized, with the drugs estimated to be worth around ₹2 lakh.

The two men were subsequently produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody.

Mettupalayam Police Inspector Gnanasekaran warned gym operators and people who visit gyms against using such stimulant medicines without proper medical advice, stating that such practices are punishable under law and could pose serious risks to life.

Police are also investigating the pharmaceutical companies associated with the seized medicines and the contact numbers recovered from the mobile phones of the accused to trace the wider network.