THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two days after a youth died of nitrazepam tablet overdose (OD) and excessive liquor consumption at Kaipamangalam near Thrissur, the city police began a crackdown on Monday on peddlers who sell the tablets. A peddler Mahadevan, 47, hailing from Chenthitta was held with around 600 tablets. Tablets Nite 10, Nitrosun 10 that falls under the category of Nitrozepam were seized. Mahadevan used to run a medical store named New Medicals at Vattiyoorkavu earlier.
“The drugs control board raided and shut down his shop as he had stocked more nitrazepam than the permissible level. This has been categoried under schedule H by the board. The drugs used for cancer treatment and painkillers were sourced by the suspect,” policemen said. Mahadevan continued to procure it over the phone in the name of a few other medical shops by using his influence with the wholesalers.
The matter came to light when several students had to seek medical help for mental issues that were triggered by the drug. He used to sell the drug to criminal gangs also, police said. He was arrested by a team headed by DCP G Sivavikram, Control Room Assistant Commissioner Suresh Kumar V and Cantonment Assistant Commissioner KE Baiju.
