18 held for hosting drug party at hotel in Chennai

CHENNAI: The Chennai police on Monday arrested 18 people on charges of organising a drugs party at a star hotel in Kilpauk. Acting on a tip-off, officers from the Narcotics Intelligence Unit raided specific rooms in the hotel and found the group consuming narcotic substances. Police seized 4.3g of ganja, three cars, two two-wheelers, and 18 mobile phones from the spot. According to police sources, preliminary inquiries revealed that the group had initially gathered at a private pub on Sunday, where they consumed alcohol, ganja and methamphetamine outside the premises before moving to the hotel to continue the party. The participants, who are employed in various professions, had been setting aside a portion of their monthly income to fund such gatherings and coordinated them through a dedicated WhatsApp group, sources said. The hotel manager, who allegedly facilitated the room bookings, was also arrested. All 18 were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and later released on bail by the Egmore court, police added. Man arrested for cheating woman of Rs 5 lakh Chennai: A man who created a fake Instagram account in the name of a popular TN cricketer and allegedly cheated a woman of Rs 5.1 lakh by promising her a government job was arrested by the police. The accused, Rahul (29) of Ottiyambakkam, was caught by the West Zone Cyber Crime Police on Monday and two mobile phones were seized. According to the complainant, Geetha (38) of Saligramam, she received a request in June from an Instagram account impersonating the cricketer. After exchanging phone numbers, the man claimed he could secure her a government job, and collected money in installments for processing and formalities. When no job materialised, she filed a complaint. Investigation revealed Rahul, who had lost his job in January and was preparing for his wedding, had created fake celebrity accounts to cheat victims. Three held for kidnapping, murdering hotelier Chennai: Tambaram Police on Monday remanded three persons to judicial custody for allegedly kidnapping and murdering a hotel owner from Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, in July. Police identified the accused as Mustaqim (32) and Mohammed Sufiyan (19) of Port Blair, and Mohammed Hayan (19) of Kerala. The trio allegedly followed the victim, Niyamat Ali (49), to Chennai and abducted him over a rivalry. They later murdered him and dumped his body in a lake in Odisha, police said. Senior police officials said two more suspects are absconding. Ali had arrived in Chennai on July 27 to purchase supplies for his hotel. When he failed to respond, his wife filed a complaint at the Chennai Airport Police Station. Subsequent investigations traced his movements from Chennai airport to Vandalur before the abduction, police added.