The Kochi city police investigating a Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act case involving Omprakash, against whom several cases have been registered, confirmed that the residue recovered from a zip-lock case found in his room from a hotel in Kundannoor last month was cocaine. .

A forensic report confirmed the suspicion. But the latest finding was unlikely to have any significance as the police could not take steps to cancel the bail of the accused, including Omprakash, based on it. For the residue seized was too small to be reserved for non-bailable charges. The severity of the offenses under the NDPS Act is based on the quantity seized, according to some sources.

Apart from Omprakash, the police also arrested Shihas, 55, of Kottarakkara in Kollam, who was arraigned as the first accused on October 6. This was followed by the arrest of one Binu Joseph from Elamakkara after his presence was detected by the police. in the same hotel. All three were able to get bail.

The incident attracted a lot of media attention after the remand report submitted by the police claimed that actors Sreenath Bhasi and Prayaga Martin were among the 20 people who visited the accused in their rooms. Later, the two were called by the police and questioned at length.

Police had seized the zip-top lid containing residue from a white powder, now confirmed to be cocaine, and four liters of foreign liquor from Shihas’ room.

The accused had booked three rooms in the hotel. However, it was found that the rooms were booked by one Bobby Chalapathy, the remand report said.

The remand report said the arrests were made based on intelligence reports that the accused were smuggling cocaine from abroad and selling it in Ernakulam and other districts for DJ parties. Though they had been to Kochi several times before, they managed to evade the police and Omprakash used to book hotel rooms on behalf of others, the remand report said.