Official held for trying to frame ex-fiance’s kin in drugs case: Police

The accused along with an accomplice allegedly planted 19 packets of ganja, each weighing between 15 to 20 grams, near the woman’s home on July 13

A 29-year-old official of the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) has been arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, after he tried to implicate his ex-fiance’s family after they broke off the engagement, a police officer said.

The accused and his accomplices have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (File photo)

The officer said the accused, identified as Shanthakumar, an assistant engineer with the KPTCL in Soraba, Shivamogga district, was engaged to the daughter of Jitendra S’s (58) in December 2022. However the engagement was called off by the family, which irked him.

The officer further said that the accused along with an accomplice allegedly planted 19 packets of ganja, each weighing between 15 to 20 grams, near the woman’s home at around 10.45 pm on July 13 to take revenge. Following this, Shanthakumar allegedly gave a tip to the excise officials about the supposed presence of marijuana at the location. Though the officials conducted a search but, finding nothing within the home, departed without incident.

The next day, Jitendra’s family stumbled upon the ganja packets while cleaning the area behind their house, the officer said. Suspicious of the sudden discovery of drugs, they reviewed footage from their CCTV system. The video revealed Shanthakumar’s accomplice throwing the ganja packets onto their property. The family then reported the matter to the police.

Based on the family’s complaint at the Sagar rural police station, the police arrested Shanthakumar’s arrest on July 27. During interrogation, Shanthakumar confessed that his primary motive was to harass the family due to the rejection of his marriage proposal.

Sagar rural police inspector Mahabaleshwara told HT: “We have charged Shanthakumar, along with Samiyulla (28) and another individual, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. The two arrested accused were presented before the Sagara JMFC court on Saturday, which has remanded them to judicial custody for 14 days. Samiyulla was the supplier of the ganja, and we are currently in pursuit of the third accomplice who threw the packets into the backyard of the residence.”