Kochi: The Infopark Police arrested two persons, including a woman, on Friday after seizing 20.22 grams of MDMA from their hotel room in Kakkanad on Thursday night. The accused have been identified as Unaise EK (34), a resident of Thrikkakara, and Kalyani PS (22) from Chingoli in Alappuzha.

The police said that Unaise had been arrested earlier in similar cases. The woman is reportedly working as a movie promoter in the film industry. 

According to the police, the duo was allegedly involved in procuring MDMA for illegal sale and personal use, with the intention of making unlawful profit. Police sources said the substance, classified as a highly addictive synthetic drug, was kept without any legal authority and was intended for distribution.

The arrest took place following a late-night raid around 11.20 pm, at a hotel near Vaniyamkuzhy Junction, Kakkanad, based on a tip received by the police. During the inspection, officers found a waist bag inside a wardrobe, which contained three polythene sachets holding 20.22 g of MDMA. A digital weighing scale, zip-lock covers, and fuming papers used for drug consumption were also recovered, indicating preparation for sale.

The police added that both accused had taken the room on rent specifically for possessing and distributing the drug. The seized items were taken into custody.

The police also confirmed that Unaise is a repeat offender. He had previously been exiled by Kochi City police from its jurisdiction under Sections 15(1) and 19 of the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) as per an order issued on July 30. The order was issued by Putta Vimaladitya, City Police Commissioner for his continuous involvement in criminal activities. Despite this, police said he violated the KAAPA order and persisted in drug-related offences, which has now been incorporated into the present set of charges.

Following the seizure, Infopark Police registered a case against both the accused under Sections 22(c) and 29 of the NDPS Act for possession and trafficking of MDMA. A separate KAAPA violation case was also registered against Unaise under Sections 15(4) and 19 of KAAPA, for defying the earlier preventive order issued against him. 

The police suspect that many customers were coming to the hotel to buy drugs from them. “Investigation is progressing to determine the wider network involved and whether the accused were supplying drugs to known circles within the film industry,” said the police.