Vadakara (Kerala), Aug 20 — Kavya, one of the three teachers arrested for alleged involvement in an MDMA trafficking network, on Thursday said she had "done nothing wrong" and "was caught up" in the case, and that a co-accused's account should not be believed.
"I have done nothing wrong. I was caught up in the drug case. Don’t believe what Keerthana says. I will tell you the reality,” Kavya told waiting media persons before police took her inside a Vadakara court, directly contradicting the stand attributed to fellow accused Keerthana and suggesting that the arrested teachers may have sharply differing versions of how they became involved in the case.
Kavya and fellow accused teacher Neeshma were on Thursday sent to police custody until 4 p.m. on Friday.
The police had sought custody for detailed interrogation and to question the two accused together.
In all, three women teachers have been arrested by the police in the last week of July and have been in judicial custody.
The latest development assumes significance as investigators seek to unravel the alleged network behind the Vadakara MDMA case and establish the precise role of each of the accused.
The police suspect that Keerthana, a physical education teacher attached to the Perambra Block Resource Centre, was a key link in the alleged network and had brought the other teachers into contact with those involved in the drug trade.
Investigators are examining financial transactions involving Keerthana and other accused persons.
Police have also claimed to have recovered chats, photographs and other digital material from her phone that could shed light on her alleged links with persons suspected to be part of the drug network.
Keerthana, however, has denied any connection with drug trafficking.
She has reportedly maintained that her financial dealings with Kavya were linked to a loan taken for her son's treatment and a chitty transaction.
Police are also examining transactions involving Safwan, an accused in an earlier MDMA case, who is alleged to have transferred money to Keerthana's account.
The investigation has now moved beyond the arrested teachers.
Police are searching for a suspected key figure in the alleged network, who is believed to have links with the arrested Iritty native Jijin Kuriakose.
Investigators are examining alleged financial transactions involving the two and are also looking into the possibility that the suspect could attempt to flee the country.
A further concern for investigators is whether the alleged drug network had any links with schoolchildren.
The police are examining whether students were ever used in drug-related transactions or whether drugs were distributed in or around educational institutions.
The case has therefore moved into a crucial phase, with the police now attempting to match the competing versions of the accused with the digital evidence and financial trail gathered during the investigation.
For now, Kavya's brief message outside the Vadakara court has added a striking new dimension to the case: one accused teacher publicly distancing herself from the alleged network and directly questioning the version of another.
What emerges from their custodial interrogation could determine whether the case leads to a wider network or exposes a very different story from the one investigators currently suspect.