'COVID Warrior' NIV scientist associated with vaccine mission orders MDMA from Pune, held in Kochi

Kochi: Kochi City Police's District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) has arrested a scientist attached to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for alleged possession of 3.630 grams of MDMA. He was earlier involved in India's indigenous COVID vaccine development programme.

Prasad Sarkale, 39, a Technical Officer with the National Institute of Virology (NIV), under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), was arrested by the DANSAF team on Saturday evening. The officers recovered the synthetic drug from a courier parcel linked to him near the Cheranalloor traffic signal junction in Kochi. 

According to the police, a native of Haveli in Pune, Maharashtra, Sarkale is currently based at the NIV unit in Government Medical College, Alappuzha. The police recovered the drug sachet from a courier packet addressed to his office in Alappuzha, which he collected from a private courier service in Cheranalloor. 

Police sources said that Sarkale, who is an accomplished scientist and MSc rankholder, spent more than 12 years at the NIV headquarters in Pune, where he was involved in virological research. During the COVID pandemic, he was part of the team that contributed to India's indigenous vaccine development efforts and received several national recognitions, including being honoured as ‘COVID Warrior’.

Because of his specialised expertise in virology, Sarkale was transferred to Kerala in February this year and posted to the NIV unit functioning in association with the Government Medical College, Vandanam, Alappuzha. His work there involved research and surveillance related to dangerous viral diseases, including Nipah.

Police sources said Sarkale had told them he had been suffering from severe depression for the past few years. Following marital dispute, he was separated from his wife and son. “He claimed his personal struggles had a significant emotional impact on him. According to his statements, he got addicted to synthetic drugs and had even undergone de-addiction treatment for six months. He reportedly succeeded in overcoming his addiction and remained drug-free for nearly one-and-a-half years. But he relapsed into drug abuse recently after moving to Kerala,” a senior officer attached to Kochi City narcotic cell told Onmanorama.

According to the police, staying alone in Alappuzha triggered painful memories associated with his separation and led him to reconnect with drug suppliers back in Pune from whom he had previously sourced narcotic substances after bitter experiences with local peddlers in Kerala.

“He claimed he tried to procure the drug from local suppliers and lost substantial amounts of money to local drug peddlers in Alappuzha who failed to supply the substance after receiving money. We suspect this may have influenced his decision to bypass local contacts and source the substance directly from Pune via courier,” police sources said. 

Before placing a fresh order, police said, he arranged for a trial shipment through the same route to determine whether a parcel could reach Kerala without being detected. When the test package arrived successfully, he allegedly proceeded with a second order for the MDMA.

The drug was allegedly dispatched from Pune in a carefully concealed package. According to police, the sender hid the MDMA within folds of a saree and other dress materials before shipping it through a private courier service as what appeared to be an ordinary textile consignment addressed to Alappuzha.

As the parcel moved through the courier network, Sarkale reportedly tracked its progress online. The police said he noticed that the consignment had reached the courier sorting hub at Cheranalloor on Saturday. Fearing that Sunday's holiday would delay delivery until Monday, he allegedly decided not to wait due to impatience and irresistible tendency to use the drug.

The police said he travelled from Alappuzha to Aluva by train, then hired an Uber taxi to reach the Cheranalloor facility and collected the parcel directly. Then he immediately decided to use it and moved to a secluded spot nearby.

 A DANSAF patrol team in mufti was conducting routine surveillance near the NH-966A underpass at Cheranalloor, an area beneath the container road where officers say very few people normally linger.

“We noticed a man emerging from the vicinity of the courier facility and moving towards a relatively isolated stretch beneath the underpass. His behaviour appeared unusual, and when our team approached him, he seemed visibly nervous. That prompted a closer inspection,” a DANSAF team member said.

The officers intercepted him, examined the parcel and found the drugs. DANSAF sources said that Sarkale did not attempt to claim that the parcel belonged to someone else. During questioning, he allegedly admitted to ordering the substance and explained the circumstances that had led to the purchase. Officers also noted that he appeared to be experiencing withdrawal symptoms at the time of his arrest.

“So far, we have not found evidence suggesting he was involved in drug distribution and the seized MDMA was intended for personal use. At the same time, we are continuing to investigate the source of supply and others who may be connected to the transaction,” said Cheranalloor police sources.

Sarkale was later produced before a Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Ernakulam (JFCM) and remanded to the Ernakulam Sub Jail under Section 22(b) (illegal possession of drugs) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. He was arrested by a DANSAF team led by Sub-Inspector Jimmy Jose.