Renowned Malayalam film directors, Khalid Rahman and Ashraf Hamza, along with one other, were arrested from their Kochi flat in the wee hours of Sunday after a raid by the Kerala Police excise team. The three were arrested for being in possession of hybrid ganja.
According to a report in Manorama Online, excise officials, based on a tip-off, raided the flat in Kochi around 2 am on Sunday and seized 1.6 gm of hybrid ganja from the trio. The third person has been identified as Shalif Mohammed, who is reportedly a close friend of the directors.
The flat where the raid was conducted happens to be rented by cinematographer Sameer Thahir.
"We took the three into custody from a flat in Kochi and seized the hybrid ganja. A case is registered against them under sections 20(b) (II) A and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985," an officer told Manorama after the raid.
"We nabbed them from flat 506 of Purva Grandbay in Kochi. When we raided the flat, they were preparing to consume the ganja. After interrogating them, we confirmed that the three persons had been using ganja for a long time. We are yet to confirm who owned the flat,” the official added.
Ahmed has some of the most successful films to his credit, including Anuraga Karikkinvellam, Unda, and Thallumala, among others. His latest film, Alappuzha Gymkhana, is currently running in theatres.
Hamza, on the other hand, is known for films like Thamaasha and Bheemante Vazhi.
This the second case of drug abuse in the Malayalam film industry to have surfaced in the past couple of weeks. Actor Shine Tom Chacko was all over the news of late after he was caught fleeing a hotel during a drug raid. The actor was later arrested, and was released on bail on the same day.
It all began after actress Vincy Aloshious had stated that she does not wish to work with actors and directors who consume drugs rampantly. She had also accused Chacko of misbehaving with her on the sets of a film under the influence of drugs.
