DYFI leader among four held with drugs in Idukki in Keralam - The HinduUpdated - August 19, 2026 09:17 pm IST - IDUKKIThe Thodupuzha police on Wednesday arrested four members of a gang dealing in synthetic drugs, including a Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) leader.The arrests were made around 4 a.m. at Edavetty, near Thodupuzha. The arrested were identified as former DYFI Thodupuzha area secretary T.S. Shiyas, Ashik, Nihan, and Arshid, all Thodupzha residents.A shadow police team had reached Edavetty on a tip-off. When officers attempted to intercept the suspects, they used pepper spray against them. However, the police subdued the gang and seized 18 g of MDMA and 10 g of hybrid ganja from them.Idukki District Police Chief A. Naseem said the arrested were suspected to be part of an interstate gang. “The police will investigate their network and links. An investigation is under way to trace the source of the contraband,” he said.The officer said 10 cases related to narcotics had been registered in the district in a week.Shiyas was the LDF candidate from the Thekkumbhagam division in the Thodupuzha block panchayat in the last local body elections and had led anti-drug campaigns. He was a former DYFI district committee member and area secretary.Meanwhile, DYFI Thodupuzha block committee secretary Althaf K.M. said in a statement that Shiyas held no position in the organisation at present and had been removed from his post after failing to attend committee meetings. The statement added that the DYFI expelled Shiyas from its primary membership.Among the other accused, Arshid was out on bail in a narcotics case and Nihan had also been previously implicated in a drug-related offence.Published - August 19, 2026 09:16 pm ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }