Hyderabad techie arrested for selling MDMA and ganja openly on Facebook

"Have some Ecstasy and Charlie on me, so need to distribute it asap. Ready to deliver anywhere. Charlie is 4k and ecstasy is 1k (sic)."

This was the last message posted by Koustav Biswas on July 31, a techie from Hyderabad, before he was caught by the Task Force wing of Telangana's Prohibition and Excise Department on charges of drug peddling.

However, unlike what one would expect, the message was not posted on an encrypted messaging service like WhatsApp or Telegram, but publicly on Facebook.

Investigators earlier this week, nabbed Koustav, a native of Kolkata, and his associate, Syed Adil, after they were caught red-handed selling cocaine near Sarojini Devi Hospital in the city's Humayunnagar area. 

Officials seized 15 grams of cocaine, 80 grams of dry ganja and two phones from their possession. 

One look at the main accused's Facebook profile left investigators perplexed as he made no attempt to be discreet, publicly posting about the drugs he was selling. 

Besides posting multiple photos of him smoking cannabis on Facebook, Koustav also openly advertised that he was selling 'Molly', a street name for Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA).

He also posted photos of himself, consuming blots of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD).

Speaking to TNM, Excise Inspector of District Task Force, Hyderabad K. Karuna said, "We caught them based on a tip-off and it was only later that we saw his Facebook posts. Because of this, we could confirm that he was a regular offender." 

Investigators said that Koustav was a heavy drug user himself, before he started peddling it to others. He also said this was the first time that they have encountered such a case, as the accused was posting publicly on social media, with no fear of the repercussions. 

"The accused said that the drugs were being supplied to him from a known acquaintance based in Pune, who was a former employee of the same company, where he was presently working. Efforts are on to trace him," Karuna added.

She also said that the duo have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 and sent to judicial remand.

Investigators say that Koustav may have a tough time procuring bail as he posted incriminating evidence against himself, publicly. 

In a similar incident in February this year, the Hyderabad city police arrested a 19-year-old BBA student from the city, along with a Nigerian national and a Goa-based businessman for selling LSD via Snapchat.

The Task Force police of the Central Zone made the arrests, and seized 75 stamps of LSD blots besides three packets of ganja, 30 grams of charas and one gram of heroin. An SUV and four cell phones were also recovered.

Speaking to reporters, police said that the accused would update his status on SnapChat and notify his friends and followers about the drugs he had.

He would also take advance orders after informing them that he was travelling to Goa, where he bought the drugs.