The incident dates back to March 10, 2022, when Gummidipoondi police claimed to have intercepted a Scorpio vehicle based on a tip-off that ganja was being transported from Andhra Pradesh to Chennai
Published Jul 12, 2025 | 5:35 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 12, 2025 | 5:35 PM
Chennai Special Court Acquits Four in Ganja Smuggling Case Over Police Discrepancies (Creative Commons)
In a major setback for the prosecution, the Special Court for Narcotic Drug Trafficking Cases in Chennai has acquitted four men arrested in connection with the alleged smuggling of 230 kilograms of ganja, citing serious discrepancies in the police investigation.
Presiding over the case, Judge M. Rajalakshmi observed that the police had submitted 236.58 kilograms of ganja to the court—over 6 kilograms more than what was officially recorded as seized. The inconsistency cast doubt on the integrity of the evidence.
The incident dates back to March 10, 2022, when Gummidipoondi police claimed to have intercepted a Scorpio vehicle based on a tip-off that ganja was being transported from Andhra Pradesh to Chennai. The accused—Ayyar from Madurai, Jayakumar from Allinagar, Soundarapandi from Ellis Nagar, and Edwin Raj from Sangiliyandapuram in Tiruchirapalli—were arrested on the spot.
However, during the trial, the court noted conflicting accounts regarding the location of the seizure. Police records mentioned both the Kavarapettai–Sathyavedu junction and the Kavarapettai–Madambakkam junction as the site of the operation, raising questions about whether officers were present at the actual crime scene.
Adding to the doubts, police failed to establish ownership of the vehicle used in the alleged crime.
In light of these procedural lapses and lack of credible evidence, the judge acquitted all four accused.
