Kochi: Amid the investigation into the drug haul from Government Polytechnic College, Kalamassery, the Kochi police conducted a special combing operation across the city, leading to the registration of 27 narcotics cases. The cases were registered in the drive conducted on Saturday.

Several private hostels in the city were also raided as part of the drive, which was held as part of the measures to curb the growing drug menace in the city. Small quantities of narcotics substances, including MDMA, were seized from residents of some private hostels. Teams from various police stations in the city and the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) conducted the raids.

“Though combing operations were done in the past, including last week, private hostels were not searched earlier. This time, we raided private hostels also in the wake of the seizure of 2 kg of ganja from the polytechnic college,” a senior police officer involved in the operation told Onmanorama.

The Thoppumpady police arrested Arunkumar T K (33), a native of Rameswaram, Mattancherry, with 13.05 gm of MDMA. His house was raided based on a tip-off. In the searches conducted in Kaloor, the DANSAF team arrested Muhammed Sanoob (33), a native of Meppady, Wayanad, with 10.45 gm of MDMA in his possession.

The police also registered 72 cases of drunken driving as part of the special combing. City police commissioner Putta Vimaladithya said such operations would continue in the coming days.