Kerala Woman Seeks Answers After Key Accused Held In False Drug Case

(MENAFN- IANS) Thrissur, April 28 (IANS) It has been 26 months since Sheela Sunny's life was turned upside down. She saw a glimmer of hope on Monday when news came that Kerala Police had taken Narayana Das into custody. Das' tip-off to the Excise Department in February 2023 had triggered the chain of events that derailed Sheela's life.

On February 27, 2023, while Sheela Sunny was working at her beauty parlour in Chalakudy near Thrissur, a team of State Excise officials conducted a search and allegedly recovered what they claimed were LSD stamps -- from her handbag and the storage compartment of her two-wheeler.

Sunny was arrested and booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. She spent 72 days in jail, bewildered and unable to understand how she had been implicated.

It was only after chemical tests confirmed that the seized material did not contain Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) that she was released. But by then, she had lost her livelihood and her reputation as a beauty professional.

Since her release, Sunny has been determined to fight for justice, convinced that she was falsely implicated.

On Monday, she welcomed the news of Narayana Das' arrest. He was taken into custody after failing to appear before police despite his anticipatory bail pleas being dismissed by both the High Court and the Supreme Court.

“I am happy that Das, a person I don't even know, has been arrested," Sunny said. "The only thing I know is that Das lives with the sister of my daughter-in-law in Bengaluru.”

Recalling the events leading up to her arrest, she said,“The day before my arrest, my daughter-in-law and her sister were at my house. They ate the food I served and later took my two-wheeler out for a while. While they were at my house, I noticed them having secretive conversations."

“Now that Das has been arrested and is being brought here from Bengaluru, all I want to know is why he did this to me -- and for what reason."

Sunny also revealed that her son, with whom she has had no contact since the incident, is reportedly in hiding.

“I don't know why he is doing that. I hope and believe that the full truth will eventually come out,” she said.

While her son has distanced himself, Sunny's husband and daughter have stood firmly by her side. After months of trauma and loss, Sunny says she is beginning to find hope again -- and is eagerly awaiting the full truth to emerge.

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