On Thursday, Coimbatore city police arrested 36-year-old V Praveen Shetty, a drug distributor based in Karnataka, after evading arrest for over two years. The arrest took place when Shetty arrived in the city to deliver a consignment of illicit drugs.
The police seized 116 sedative tablets, three grams of methamphetamine, and three mobile phones from Shetty. In addition to his arrest, four of his customers were also apprehended. Shetty, who had been operating in Coimbatore and several parts of Tamil Nadu, was responsible for a significant number of drug abuse cases in the district. His network had been under surveillance by the Coimbatore police for months.
Shetty worked in a pharmacy owned by Vasanth Shetty in Dharwad, Karnataka, where he was allegedly involved in the illegal sale of drugs. The drugs were brought from Mumbai to a wholesaler, Rajesh, in Hubli. Praveen Shetty then distributed the drugs at a retail level in Coimbatore and across Tamil Nadu.
Despite multiple efforts to capture him, Shetty had managed to evade the police. However, his arrest was made possible after an in-depth investigation, which revealed the extent of his involvement in local drug abuse cases. Authorities are now on the lookout for Rajesh, the wholesaler, and the pharmacy owner.
The drugs Praveen Shetty sold were categorized as Schedule H under the Drug Control Act, which limits over-the-counter sales. Although they do not fall under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, Shetty has been booked under IPC Section 328 (causing hurt by means of poison) and is being considered for detention under the Goondas Act due to his links to several drug-related cases in the city.
The investigation is ongoing, and further action is expected against Shetty’s associates and suppliers.
