Cop among 3 arrested for trapping man in fake drug case

On July 17, the police control room received information that 2.3 kg of marijuana was being transported in a bus going from Mangaluru to Shivamogga.

Bengaluru: Shivamogga police have arrested three people, including an armed reserve sub-inspector (ARSI), on charges of conspiring to murder a man and planting evidence to fix another in a drug case allegedly for social media posts criticising an independent church based in Thrissur district in Kerala, officials said.

The police questioned the person seated close to the parcel, but during investigation it was found that the drug was placed as part of a conspiracy to frame one Ajeel, a resident of Kerala and a passenger on the bus. (HT Archives)

The arrested have been identified as Wilson James, (55), ARSI and a resident of Shivamogga, Alex alias Alexander, (42), of Bengaluru, and Afroz Ahmed, (37), of Bengaluru, said BM Laxmi Prasad, Shivamogga superintendent of police.

On July 17, the police control room received information that 2.3 kg of marijuana was being transported in a bus going from Mangaluru to Shivamogga. Based on the tip-off, police intercepted the vehicle near Thirthahalli and during the search found a parcel of marijuana, the SP said.

The police questioned the person seated close to the parcel, but during investigation it was found that the drug was placed as part of a conspiracy to frame one Ajeel, a resident of Kerala and a passenger on the bus. “As we probed further into the matter, we found that Wilson James and Alexander hatched the conspiracy to frame Ajeel,” said Laxmi Prasad.

The investigation found that Ajeel was earlier a disciple of an independent church based in Thrissur in Kerala, however he left the organisation and began posting comments on social media criticising the church. Alexander and Wilson James were involved in the conspiracy to fix Ajeel in a drug case. Alexander had transferred ₹1 lakh to Wilson for the task, said the SP.

Apart from the case involving drugs, the two accused had conspired to murder Sajju Francis, 42, also from Kerala, for similar reasons. They had contacted Afroz Ahmed to murder Sajju Francis, and paid him ₹80,000 as an advance to execute the murder. “A team has gone to Kerala to probe the case. We have sought the support of Thrissur superintendent of police in the investigation,” the SP added.