Two men spend five months in jail after police mistake rock sugar for MDMA

The Hindu

28-05-2025

A new job opportunity turned into a harrowing five-month ordeal for two men, who were wrongfully jailed on charge of possessing MDMA, only to be released after a test report revealed that the seized substance was rock sugar.
Manikandan, 46, of Kannur and Biju Mathew of Kolichal in Kasaragod, were arrested on November 26, 2024, by the Nadakavu police in Kozhikode. Officers with the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) allegedly found 58 grams of white powder in Mr. Manikandan's pocket and assumed that it was MDMA.
Despite their claims that the powder was only rock sugar, the two were booked and remanded. With the chemical report pending, their pleas for bail were rejected. It was only on the 151st day of remand that the chemical analysis confirmed what they had maintained all along — the substance was not a narcotic.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Mathew described the experience as a nightmare that has scarred him for life. 'Those days in jail felt endless. I kept thinking of my mother, who was all alone,' he said.
'A nightmare'
Mr. Mathew said he and Mr. Manikandan, both drivers and friends for long, had met at the Kanhangad railway station on November 24 and travelled to Kozhikode to pursue a job opening. 'We rented a room and had liquor with rock sugar as as side dish. When we went downstairs for dinner, the DANSAF team surrounded us and took us into custody,' he said.
'They found the rock sugar in Manikandan's pocket. They refused to listen to us and insisted that it was MDMA.' he said.
Only months later did the forensic laboratory's report prove their innocence, prompting the Vadakara NDPS court to order their release. However, exoneration has brought little comfort. 'People treated us like criminals. My relatives refused to speak to me,' Mr. Mathew said.
With no job and no income, and severe emotional damage to boot, his life after release has been difficult and he has chosen to tell the story so as to clear his name. When asked about legal action against the officials who falsely implicated him, he said he did not have the means to fight a case. 'But I want people to know the truth.'
Attempts to contact Mr. Manikandan were met with silence. But Mr. Mathew said his friend suffered just as much. 'His daughter had to stop her nursing studies since they could not pay her fee while he was in jail,' he said.
DANSAF version
A senior DANSAF officer, on condition of anonymity, said the duo were arrested based on credible intelligence. 'According to our sources, they came to Kozhikode to purchase MDMA, but were duped and were sold rock sugar instead,' the officer said.
He claimed the duo admitted to this during interrogation. 'Once the lab results were out, they changed their version of events,' the officer added.