The Kerala Excise Department detained 20 people Sunday afternoon and seized ecstasy pills and narcotic substances during a rave party in a resort near Thiruvananthapuram, a senior official said.
A department official said the department received a tip-off from Bengaluru and officials approached the resort posing as partygoers and later arrested them when they learned that the party began on Saturday evening and continued through Sunday morning. Two of the main organizers, Akshay Mohan and Peter Shan, have been arrested, while others detained will soon be booked after a detailed investigation.
The party was held as a two-day music festival called “Nirvana Music Festival”. The participants were lured to the party online and were sent entry tickets based on their interest and background, he said. “We seized cannabis oil, charas, ecstasy pills, and MDMA,” he said, adding that this was the first rave party busted in the state capital.
Organizers selected the resort because it was on a small island, and to get there they needed boats, so they thought nobody would notice them. The official added that according to information they have more than 50 people participated, and some of them left in the morning, some of them found intoxicated when they were found, including women. Senior officials will brief the media on the matter in a meeting on Monday. Other details will be known after the detained people are interrogated.
