The Kerala Government has expelled two Special Educators attached to the Perambra Block Resource Centre (BRC) in Kozhikode after their arrest for allegedly routing money in connection with an MDMA drug trafficking network.
The action followed a police investigation which found that Kavya and Keerthana had allegedly acted as key intermediaries by receiving payments from drug buyers through their bank accounts before the narcotics were delivered to customers through courier services.
The Perambra Block Resource Centre is a sub-district-level institutional setup under Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK).
Keerthana was arrested first. During her interrogation, the police were led to Kavya. Both were allegedly collecting money from the buyers of the drugs, with the payments routed through their bank accounts. Keerthana was nabbed last week, while Kavya was arrested on July 27.
As per investigation, once it was confirmed that the money had reached the teachers’ bank accounts, a courier used to deliver the drugs to the buyers.
The police inquiry revealed that lakhs of rupees were transacted through the teachers’ bank accounts. The police now plan to interrogate both in custody. They both allegedly worked as key intermediaries in a sophisticated MDMA distribution network.
The arrest and expulsion of the teachers have upset both the student community and the parents’ community in Kerala.
In Kerala, like in any other part of Bharat, teachers are held in high esteem. Students are taught that ‘Mata Pita, Guru Daivam’. Therefore, the fact that such incidents occur is a great blow to teachers, parents and society as a whole.
These days, drug trafficking is at an all-time high in Kerala. The Home Ministry has launched ‘Operation Thoofan’ to eliminate drug trafficking. Several voluntary organisations are taking the initiative to launch or sponsor programmes against drug consumption and trafficking.
Janam TV conducts programmes in schools to educate children about the drug menace. Yet, when newspapers and TV channels carry drug-related news, it is a matter of deep concern for parents in Kerala.
