In a bizarre incident mimicking an episode from the popular TV show Breaking Bad, a group of college students were arrested after the Tamil Nadu Anti-Drug Intelligence Unit raided a home on Wednesday, October 23, where the students had set up an illegal methamphetamine (commonly known as a crystal meth) lab.
Those arrested have been identified as Praveen Pranav (21), Kishore (21), Naveen (21), Dhanush (23), Gnana Pandian (22), Plumbing Francis (21) and Arun Kumar.
Kishore, son of DMK Minjur union’s 22nd ward councillor Kathiravan, had reportedly purchased 250 grams of fake meth from peddler Arun Kumar. His friends Naveen, Praveen and Dhanush had accompanied him. The group paid Rs 3 lakh to Arun. At Rs 2,000 per gram, they sold the drug to Plumbing Francis who discovered that it was fake.
After Plumbing Francis informed Kishore that the drug was fake, he sought the help of Gnana Pandian, who was a gold medalist in Chemistry to help produce crystal meth on their own. Praveen, Kishore, Dhanush and Naveen along with Gnana Pandian decided to set up the meth lab at Praveen's house under the guise of an academic project. They obtained materials needed to set up the lab from Parrys Corner in Chennai.
The police, acting on a tip off, raided the house and seized all materials. The students were produced before a magistrate and were placed in judicial custody. The police found that Arun who had sold fake meth to the students had procured it from Karthik, who is absconding.