A Bengaluru-based ophthalmologist was arrested by the anti-narcotics wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB). The anti-narcotics department of CCB also seized 42 grams of hydro ganja worth ₹3 lakh that he had smuggled from the Netherlands through an international courier company.
The CCB team raided an apartment in Yeshwantpur on February 24 after being alerted by the courier service. They arrested the 30-year-old ophthalmologist, Dr. Nikhil Gopalkrishan, and seized the narcotics from him.
The accused, Dr. Nikhil Gopalkrishan, works in a private hospital. As per the CCB team, Dr. Nikhil was addicted to drugs. The CCB investigation found that he had sourced the narcotics using a Telegram link and paid the supplier in bitcoins. This was allegedly not the first time that Dr. Nikhil had procured narcotics through this method, but he was caught this time since the courier company alerted the police.
In a separate case, the police arrested 40-year-old Kalu Chukwa of Nigeria and seized MDMA crystals, 1,273 ecstasy tablets, and a mobile phone from him, worth ₹1.8 crore in total.
Ecstasy is also commonly called Molly, which is a synthetic (lab-made) psychoactive drug chemically similar to the stimulant methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline. It is an ilthat drug that acts as a stimulant and a psychedelic (producing an energizing effect) It causes distortions in time, perception, and enhances enjoyment from tactual experiences.
Ecstasy is a Schedule I substance that comes under the Controlled Substances Act. It means you could face jail time with it in your possession.1
The Kalu Chukwa had come to Bengaluru on a business visa in 2023 and was residing at Soladevanahalli. He would source drugs and sell them to his customers in Bengaluru.
The CCB team also raided another duo peddling drugs in Soladevanahalli. They detained Emmanuel Kwasy (32), from Ghana, and Chainasa Cyprilan Okoye (38), from Nigeria. They had arrived in India on tourist visas. The CCB team seized 500 grams of MDMA crystals worth ₹51 lakh from them. They started peddling drugs that were sourced from Mumbai. The accused had been arrested previously in a narcotics case. They shifted their base to Soladevanahalli in Bengaluru after their release and continued peddling drugs.
Police Commissioner B. Dayananda informed that in all, police seized drugs worth ₹2.3 crore in the last week.
References:
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/what-is-ecstasy
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Komal Bhoi)