Ward member nabbed for devising plan with lover to trap husband in drug case

Idukki: Investigation by Vandanmedu CI VS Navas revealed a shocking conspiracy devised by a grama panchayat member to imprison her husband in a drug peddling case, to live with her boyfriend. Police arrested Soumya Abraham (33), ward member of the 11th ward in Vandanmedu panchayat of Idukki in the case. A Sasthamkotta native Shanavas (39) and Shefin (24) from Kollam were also arrested for providing drugs to Soumya. Her boyfriend Puttadi native Vinod (44) is also an accused in the case.

After receiving information regarding the drug transport, police seized a packet of the MDMA from the bike of Soumya's husband Sunil Varghese. However, CI Navas felt that Sunil was innocent and someone might have attempted to trap him. Hence he decided to arrest the accused only after obtaining solid evidence against him. Though a meagre amount of MDMA had been seized from Sunil, the crime accounted for a maximum 10 years imprisonment. Despite severe pressure from public, Navas refrained from booking Sunil.

Police initially inferred that Soumya’s political career might have urged her opponents to trap Sunil and launched a probe to the person who passed the information to DANSAF (District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force). After interrogating many persons, police reached the source of the information, Shanavas. Vandanmedu police and DANSAF took him in custody and confirmed his contacts with Vinod and Soumya.

Vinod is working abroad and after beginning a relationship with Soumya, both have allegedly decided to divorce their partners. Initially they planned to murder Sunil, but dropped the plan in fear of being caught. It was then they decided to trap Sunil in a drug case and ask for divorce in the name of the case. Shanavas was a friend of Vinod and he managed to obtain the drugs via Shefin. Police could not arrest Vinod as he is abroad now.