Kochi cop steals MDMA from evidence locker, caught when trying to replace it

Kochi: A Sub-Inspector from the Ernakulam Central police station was arrested on charges of stealing 87 grams of MDMA from the station's locker room. He was allegedly trying to replace 202 grams of the contraband when nabbed. 

The accused officer, Anas S Thoufeeq, a native of Kattakkada in Thiruvananthapuram, has been suspended from service pending departmental enquiry. Senior officers revealed that Thoufeeq returned nearly two and a half times the stolen quantity of synthetic drugs in an unsealed packet. The suspension order highlights that Thoufeek provided false statements to the station house officer (SHO). Authorities are yet to establish why he smuggled the contraband out of the station and where he procured the additional stash.

Interestingly, Thoufeeq was active in official anti-narcotics campaigns, even addressing public awareness sessions as part of the state's 'Operation Toofan' initiative. Investigators are now probing whether he had leaked sensitive information to drug syndicates in earlier cases or stolen the contraband with the intention of framing someone. The Traffic West ACP has been entrusted with the inquiry and directed to submit a detailed report within 10 days.

The stolen MDMA was part of seized evidence stored securely in the station locker, slated for destruction after the completion of court proceedings. Internal checks revealed that the sealed 87-gram packet was missing, triggering a discreet probe. Investigators found that Thoufeek entered the locker room on October 18. To confirm their suspicions, officials changed the locker room keys. When Thoufeeq began searching for the new keys, officers confronted him, forcing him to hand over the unsealed packet containing 202 grams of MDMA.