In a late-night operation, two prominent Malayalam film directors — Khalid Rahman and Ashraf Hamza — along with a third individual, Shalif Mohammed, were arrested by the Excise Department in Kochi for alleged possession of hybrid ganja.
The arrests were made around 2 am on Sunday, following a raid conducted by the Excise Special Squad at a flat near the Goshree Bridge. Acting on a tip-off, officials searched the apartment and seized 1.6 grams of hybrid ganja. Excise officers said the trio was apprehended while allegedly attempting to consume the contraband.
All three were formally arrested and later released on station bail. "We went there after getting information. They were arrested from an apartment near Goshree bridge. The directors were arrested as they had possession of cannabis. It was a case in which they got station bail. They were there for a cinema discussion, and from what we told during the questioning, they have been using it for years," an Excise officer told the media.
Khalid Rahman is a noted filmmaker known for movies such as Anuraga Karikkin Vellam, Unda, Love, Thallumaala, and the recently released Alappuzha Gymkhana. Ashraf Hamza, meanwhile, has directed films like Thamaasha, Bheemante Vazhi, and Sulaikha Manzil, and was also a co-writer for Thallumaala.
Both Khalid Rahman and Ashraf Hamza have been associated with several blockbuster films in the Malayalam industry and are considered among the new wave of successful young filmmakers.
Section 27 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 outlines a punishment of one year imprisonment or Rs 20,000 fine, or both, for consumption of drugs.