The heroin seizure in Gujarat that had its impact on a Chennai middle class apartment

This picture has been used for representational purpose

The residents of middle class Govardhan Giri Apartments in Chennai's Kolapakkam are now wary. For they are seeing a lot of visitors these days - media, probe agency officials - after the seizure of huge heroin in Gujarat's Mundra Port late last month. After Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials seized a huge haul of 3,000 kg heroin, estimated to be valued at about Rs 21,000 crore, from the port, the development had its reverberations in Govardhan Giri apartments with residents, Machavaram Sudhakar and wife Govindaraju Durga Purna Vaishali, getting picked by the agency.

The arrests came as a huge surprise and shock not only for other residents of the apartments but also for those living on that street. The couple certainly does not seem to be capable of having means to source heroin of huge scale or value. With little prodding, residents with a bit of reluctance would tell the media that the Sudhakar and Vaishali, who have two small children, were leading a normal life. According to the neighbours, the couple were religious and used to conduct prayers in the morning.

The Telugu couple who spoke fluent Tamil were generally reserved and did not have many visitors, a resident said. As to Sudhakar's job, police said he was employed with a cargo agent while the residents were told that he was working with a company. It is said Sudhakar had lost his job last year post Covid-19 pandemic and the company Aashi Trading Company came into being around that time. The heroin shipment originated from Afghanistan, and was shipped to Gujarat from Iran's Bandar Abbas Port. The goods and services tax (GST) number used for consignment allegedly belongs to a company registered in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada.

However, it was later found that Vaishali, a resident of Chennai, had taken the GST registration last year giving the Vijayawada address. The building is owned by Vaishali's mother Govindaraju Taraka. Vaishali had also taken an import and export license (IEC Code) from the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) for export and import purposes. After the DRI got a tip off that the narcotics were declared as semi-processed talc stones, originating from Afghanistan and shipped via Iran's Bandar Abbas to Mundra, it detained two containers for examination under the provisions of Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act. Subsequently, the couple were arrested and taken to Gujarat for further investigation while their two children were with their close relative.

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