Youngsters under influence of drug mafia, say local residents

Thiruvananthapuram: Arjun, the prime suspect in the murder of 30-year-old Shyam was a former resident of

Sreevaraham

and the Sreevaraham pond here has always been his favourite hangout place.

The local residents had confronted him multiple times after they caught him smoking

ganja

here along with his friends. A few times, this confrontation had even turned physical with the elders manhandling him.

According to local residents, it might be those previous experiences that provoked him to react violently when Shyam and friends scolded him and his friends.

A friend of Shyam, who demanded anonymity, said that rising trend of substance abuse among young generation was a serious concern. “The

drug mafia

has a firm grip in places such as Sreevaraham, Vallakkadavu, Muttathara and Valiyathura. Police are not effectively intervening to curb the supply of ganja among youths,” he said.

Valiyathura resident Santhosh S said, “The police often showed a lenient attitude towards youngsters caught for ganja abuse. This in turn give them courage to attack those who report their activities to the police”. TNN