Kochi: Popular Malayalam rapper Hirandas Murali, better known by his stage name Vedan, and eight others were arrested on Monday following a narcotics raid at his rented apartment at Kaniyampuzha near Vyttila.

The Hill Palace police have booked Vedan and the others after seizing 6 grams of ganja from the apartment. The accused have been charged under sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The accused are likely to be let off on station bail after due procedures.

Police sources said the arrested are part of Vedan's band, including artists and officials. The police raided the flat by noon based on a tip-off that the occupants were using illegal addictive substance. The raid and the related procedures went on till evening. Though the police checked two cars used by the accused which were parked on the flat premises, no illegal substance were found.

The police action however landed Vedan in more trouble as the Forest Department also initiated a probe into a suspected leopard claw pendant he wears. Forest sleuths joined the police team during the raid. The Forest Department is likely to register a separate case against the singer.

A native of Thrissur, Vedan is known for his songs featuring subaltern themes. The arrest comes just two days after his performance in Kochi.

The raid happened a day after noted Malayalam directors Khalid Rahman and Ashraf Hamsa and their friend Shalif Mohammed were arrested by Excise officials with hybrid ganja from a flat in Kochi.

A total of 1.63 grams of hybrid ganja were confiscated from them, and the trio were released on station bail. The Excise Special Squad raided the flat at around 2.00 am as they received a tip-off that drugs were being used in a flat rented by cinematographer Sameer Thahir. In the wake of the development, the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) Directors' Union suspended both filmmakers from the body.

The raid at Vedan's residence coincided with Malayalam film actors Shine Tom Chacko and Sreenath Bhasi appearing before the Excise team probing the seizure of hybrid ganja worth around Rs 2 crore from a woman in Alappuzha earlier this month.

A woman drug peddler, namely Taslima Sulthana, and her accomplice were arrested with ganja on April 2 by officials of the state Excise Department. She had reportedly named the two actors in her statement.