Over 100 Tambaram Cops Raid Student Hostels in Potheri and Kattankulathur for Drugs

More than 100 police personnel attached to the Tambaram City Police Commissionerate conducted coordinated raids on student hostels and apartment complexes in and around Maraimalai Nagar, Kattankulathur, and Potheri on Sunday morning following alerts regarding alleged widespread drug use and movement among students.

The extensive search operation commenced around 6 a.m. and continued for several hours under the leadership of three assistant commissioners of police from the Commissionerate.

According to police sources, the crackdown was launched after the Commissionerate received confidential information that narcotic substances were being used extensively within these student residential facilities. Investigators noted that the movement and consumption of drugs were reportedly more prominent during weekends, particularly on Saturdays and Sundays.

Police personnel checked individual rooms occupied by students as well as common areas and other portions of the residential premises. Visitors and other outsiders entering or leaving the apartment complexes and student hostels were also stopped by officers and subjected to thorough checks, which included the examination of their bags and personal belongings.

As part of the comprehensive search efforts, police teams also inspected plant pots, ornamental crotons, creepers, landscaped areas, and open spaces along compound walls to ensure no contraband had been hidden outdoors.

Although police have not officially disclosed the exact quantity or full nature of the substances seized during the operation, sources said that high-grade narcotic substances, drug tablets, and cannabis were recovered from the premises.

Officials are now expected to examine the origin and source of the seized substances to identify the suppliers providing drugs to students. Police indicated that further searches and active surveillance are likely to be carried out based on the actionable information gathered during Sunday's early morning operation.

Police sources further stated that similar search operations could be extended to other suburban areas where large numbers of students and young people from other States reside. Potential areas for future raids include Tambaram, Pallavaram, the Old Mahabalipuram Road, and the East Coast Road, amid growing public concerns over the circulation of narcotic substances in the city's expanding suburban belt.