Kochi: What began as a dramatic movie-style abduction near Forum Mall in Kochi’s Kundannur on Wednesday night has taken an unexpected turn, with the alleged victim himself landing in police custody 24 hours later on charges of drug possession and trafficking.

In a late-night raid on Thursday, the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) of Kochi City police, assisted by Palarivattom police, arrested 23-year-old Rejoy Bexson Francis, the youth who was allegedly kidnapped the previous night, along with three others from a rented house in Vennala. The team seized 4.48 grams of MDMA, a digital weighing scale, and drug-packaging covers kept on a TV stand inside the flat.

Apart from Rejoy, the police arrested Binu Mohanan (32) of Puthencruz, Sandranjali (24) of Kumbalam and Parvathi V (25) of Haripad, who is an anaesthesia technician.

The four were booked under Sections 8(c), 22(b), and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, which deal with the prohibition of possession, purchase and sale of narcotic drugs, offences involving intermediate quantities of psychotropic substances, and criminal conspiracy and abetment.

The developments mark a dramatic reversal in a case that initially triggered an intensive police hunt after CCTV footage captured a gang forcibly dragging Rejoy into a car near the service road in front of Forum Mall.

The incident unfolded around 9.50 pm on Wednesday when Rejoy, a resident of Kollamparambil House in Maradu, arrived at the service road near Forum Mall on a red scooter. According to Maradu police, a five-member gang waiting at the spot allegedly overpowered him, forced him into a car and sped away.

The abduction was witnessed by an online food delivery worker from Malappuram, who immediately alerted the police.

The officers from Maradu police station examined CCTV footage, identified that the victim was Rejoy and traced the vehicle to a man named Shahanas, who is an accused in a 2025 drug case registered by the Central Police. That discovery prompted officers to probe whether the incident was linked to rival drug syndicates rather than a conventional kidnapping.

Further background checks revealed that Rejoy himself had previously been booked in a drug-related case and was known to have links with local drug trafficking networks.

The investigation took another turn on Thursday when officers learned that Rejoy, who was already under DANSAF surveillance, had been released by his abductors shortly after the incident.

According to DANSAF, the gang was led by Francis, an alleged drug dealer from Aluva. The police said Francis and Rejoy were part of the same drug distribution network and had fallen out over money.

The officers suspect Rejoy owed Francis money from previous drug transactions. Following an argument over the unpaid amount, Francis and his associates allegedly abducted Rejoy, held him briefly inside the vehicle, and later released him a short distance away.

Acting on intelligence that Rejoy had returned to a rented house in Vennala, DANSAF officers carried out a raid at around 11 pm on Thursday. The house was rented by Binu and Parvathy, who are friends.

During the search, officers recovered 4.48 grams of MDMA, a digital weighing scale and packaging materials allegedly used for distributing narcotics.

Addressing the media, Narcotics ACP TD Sunil Kumar said, “The four individuals arrested from the apartment are active drug users and distributors. They rented the room together primarily to coordinate drug sales.”

The police have launched a manhunt to trace Francis and the remaining members of the gang allegedly involved in the abduction. Further investigation is underway to find Rejoy’s drug suppliers and customers.