Ernakulam: The Kerala Police have nabbed a theatre artiste with 56 grams of the synthetic drug MDMA, from a rented apartment at Thrikkakkara in Kochi.

The police said that while the actress, Anju Krishna belonging to Kazhakkottam in Thiruvananthapuram, was arrested from the flat, her partner Shameer, who hails from Kasaragod, fled from the scene.

The drug was seized during a routine inspection by a ‘Yodhavu’ (Warrior) squad formed by the Kochi City Police Commissioner to check substance abuse.

When the squad reached the building at Thoppil Junction in Unichira, Shameer ran away from the third-floor flat on seeing the police. Noticing the youth jumping over the compound of the building to escape, the squad became suspicious and thoroughly examined the flat he shared with Anju and the MDMA was seized.

The police said that MDMA was brought to the flat in big quantities from Bengaluru and distributed in Kochi. Anju and Shameer had posed as a married couple and had rented the flat a month ago, said the police.

Anju was working as an actress in theatre when she met Shameer three years ago, informed the police. A search has been launched for the Kasaragod native, an officer added.