College statistics teacher arrested in Kerala drug investigation

Police in Kerala's Malappuram district have arrested a part-time college statistics teacher and three others for allegedly supplying MDMA to students and friends.

Suhail Peringodan, who has taught at Dr. Gafoor Memorial MES Mampad College for the past three years, was detained on Thursday, 17 September 2026, following a targeted police operation in Nilambur.

The other three suspects arrested in connection with the investigation are Reena T.N., who runs a beauty parlour, Vivek Vijayan, and Subramanian. All four were presented before the Nilambur First Class Judicial Magistrate Court on Friday and were granted conditional bail, though police say the broader investigation is still active.

How the arrests unfolded

The police operation began when Nilambur Sub-Inspector Arshid K.M. received a tip-off about local drug sales. Officers intercepted Subramanian and seized 0.4 grams of MDMA and 0.5 grams of ganja from his possession.

During questioning, Subramanian led investigators to Vivek and Reena. As officers probed deeper, they discovered that Suhail was the central figure supplying the group.

Following directives from the Malappuram district police chief, investigators expanded the case. They found that Suhail was allegedly distributing synthetic drugs to his friends and to students at his college. Police said that during his interrogation, Suhail admitted to using MDMA regularly and confessed to sourcing his wholesale supply from distributors operating in the Kondotty and Manjeri areas.

The search for wholesale suppliers

While the suspects have been released on bail, local police say they are now focusing on dismantling the network's supply chain. Officers are currently searching for the wholesale dealers who provided the drugs to Suhail.

The arrests were carried out by a team from the Nilambur special police unit, including officers Sabirali P., Sajeesh P., Sajeesh, and Krishnadas M. The operation was supervised by Nilambur Circle Inspector Shaiju N.B., under the overall direction of Nilambur Deputy Superintendent of Police Rafeeq K.

Broader concerns over drug networks

The involvement of an educator has alarmed local authorities, who are grappling with the spread of synthetic drugs like MDMA in educational hubs.

This is not an isolated incident in the region. Recently, three other teachers were arrested in Kozhikode for allegedly working as intermediaries for synthetic drug dealers. In that case, police accused V.P. Neeshma and K.C. Keerthana, both specialist instructors, and K. Kavya, a teacher at an autism centre, of using social media platforms like Instagram to find buyers and facilitate transactions.