Kochi City Police Commissioner K Sethu Raman (Image: Kochi City Police/Facebook)
Days after the police intensified their surveillance in response to revelations made by many in the Malayalam film industry concerning drug consumption among certain actors, Kochi City Police Commissioner K Sethu Raman stated on Tuesday that the cops possess precise information regarding the actors who use such substances.
"The constraint lies in the fact that such people can only be apprehended when they are found in possession of or actively using drugs. Typically, in the majority of situations, their helpers deliver drugs to them. The police are actively pursuing these celebrities and they will be nabbed sooner than later," Sethu Raman told Asianet News.
"The consumption of drugs is considered illegal regardless of the location. Therefore, there are no barriers to conducting inspections on film sets. It should be noted that none of Kerala's renowned artistes achieved success by using drugs. Many of them are actively supporting law enforcement efforts. The comments made by Tiny Tom about his son are unfortunate. Shadow police officers have been deployed on movie sets in Kochi, resulting in a noticeable reduction in drug usage," he added.
Earlier this month, Sethu Raman had announced that police presence would be there at all film shooting locations in the port city. The top officer said that shadow police would be present at all shooting locations and raids would be carried out if information is received about the use or sale of drugs.
Raman said the decision was taken in an urgent meeting held in the wake of film industry persons speaking of drug use among actors. He said that on receiving complaints, appropriate action — including initially trying to dissuade the person concerned from using drugs — would be taken, PTI reported.
“We have data of those involved in such cases in the past. We know who is doing drugs, but we do not have information about the sellers. Of the majority of those using drugs, if we arrest them, we will have to release them on bail. What is required is for such persons to wake up and realise that continued use of drugs would be harmful for them,” the news agency had quoted him as saying.
The controversy started when the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) and the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) recently announced that they would no longer cooperate with Malayalam actors Shane Nigam and Sreenath Bhasi, after several producers complained about the two to the film bodies.
* This article was originally published here