Moolamattom:  Excise officials arrested a film actor and his friend for possession of MDMA and ganja during a routine vehicle inspection at Thodupuzha on Saturday.

The accused were identified as P S Fareeduddin (31), a mini-screen and film actor known as Pareekutty, from Kannankara in Perumbavoor, and his friend, Jismon (24), of Kavilumpara in Vadakara. The duo was apprehended while travelling on the Vagamon route in a Karnataka-registered car.

During the inspection, officials recovered 10.50 grams of MDMA and 5 grams of ganja from Jismon’s possession, 230 milligrams of MDMA and 4 grams of ganja from Pareekutty. Both were taken into custody and will be presented in court later today.

The investigation was led by Excise Range Officer K Abhilash, with a team comprising Assistant Excise Inspector Savichan Mathew, Preventive Officers V R Rajesh, P R Anuraj, and A L Subair, along with Civil Excise Officer Charles Edwin and Woman Civil Excise Officers M T Bindu.