College dropouts promote student drug network in Chennai | News from Chennai

CHENNAI: Dropouts were key players in attracting younger Students in Narcotics Use and trade nearby SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) in Tambaraminvestigators say after Saturday Drug raid.
These school dropouts targeted students and lured them with cheaper prices for Ganja and put them in touch with drug traffickers in states like Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. When the students returned from their hometowns, they brought ganja by train and discreetly distributed small quantities among their classmates.
An investigator from Tambaram Police said the influence of these dropouts has normalized drug use among students.
Police found Shisha pipes and related equipment in 90% of the homes searched on Saturday.
Acting on a tip-off, Tambaram City Police Commissioner Abhin Dinesh Modak ordered the raid on apartments occupied mostly by students. More than 1,000 policemen searched 500 apartments and seized ganja and other narcotics. In the operation, 20 cases were registered and 21 people were arrested, including 11 students from SRMIST and Selvamania 29-year-old historian.
Of the 21 arrested, 11 students were released on bail while the others, including Selvamani, were remanded in custody.
Police urged university management to closely monitor student activities and report suspicious behavior, stressing the need for tighter supervision to protect at-risk students from addiction and criminal influences.