Nine, including actor and assistant director, arrested in Chennai drug bust

Nine individuals, including a Tamil actor, were arrested in Chennai for drug possession and trafficking during a police operation.

The Greater Chennai City Police arrested nine persons, including an actor in the Tamil film industry, after the Anti-Narcotics Intelligence Unit (ANIU) seized methamphetamine and ganja from them at Chennai’s Valasaravakkam.

Acting on specific intelligence received by the ANIU, a special ANIU team, along with a police team led by the Inspector of Valasaravakkam police station, conducted a coordinated surveillance operation on the night of February 4, 2026, near Megamart, Valasaravakkam.

Initially, the ANIU South team and local police arrested Vigneshwaran, 33, of Nesapakkam, and questioned him. He disclosed to the police that he had bought narcotic substances from Venkatesh Kumar, 31, of Kovur near Porur. The police deployed personnel in plainclothes and approached Venkatesh Kumar under the pretext of purchasing drugs while posing as potential buyers. He got to an Aavin milk booth in Valasaravakkam, along with his associates, in a car. The police surrounded them and conducted checks.

It was found that they were in possession of the narcotic substance methamphetamine for illegal sale. The police arrested Venkatesh Kumar (31), Karthik Raja (31) of Mangadu, Yashwanth (25) of Kattupakkam, and Vigneshwaran (35) of Nesapakkam.

Based on information provided by them, the police also arrested five more persons who were in possession of narcotics. The five were identified as S. Sriram (33) of West Mambalam, Alvipinsha (27) of Palakkad, Kerala, Nivetha alias Vinci Nivetha (26) of Vadapalani, Thameem Niswan (27) of Mannady, and Anju Krishna (30), Vadapalani.

The police said Anju Krishna had acted in the Tamil film Vellimalai as well as in a few Malayalam films. Vincy Nivetha had worked as an assistant in a Tamil film.