Vedan arrested in drug use case; Kerala govt cancels rapper's program in Idukki

IDUKKI: Just hours after the DANSAF team raid in rapper Vedan’s apartment in Kochi, the Kerala government decided to cancel his pre-booked show for an upcoming event. Vedan was to perform in the government’s fourth-year celebration event in Idukki in the coming days. The show was cancelled following the excise raid that seized five grams of cannabis from the singer’s apartment in Kochi.

After his program on Sunday, Hiran Das Murali, known by his stage name Vedan, reached his apartment late at night with a pack of nine friends. Getting a tip-off about drug use, the police team barged into the apartment late at night and seized the marijuana. Vedan has been arrested and will soon be subjected to a medical examination. However, police will look to question the singer in the coming days to learn more about the source of the drugs.

In the past few years, the Thrissur-based rapper emerged as the new hot property in Kerala’s rap domain, with people coming in flocks to his events. Even his last event in Thiruvananthapuram saw unprecedented rush, which even left the police helpless.

Ironically, Vedan used to virtue signal about the predicaments in drug use and would often take time between his stage program to request people to never try drugs. Vedan’s song ‘Kuthanthram’ from the movie 'Manjummel Boys' was a chart-topper all across India.

Update: It is now reported that Vedan admitted to police about using drugs the other day. A total of Rs nine lakh was also found in this apartment. The rapper said it was the money received in advance for agreeing to do events in certain parts of the state. All those in custody are members of Vedan's rap band. The team used this apartment to practice for their events. It is believed that Vedan was inside the flat when the police team barged in last night after getting a tip-off about rampant drug use.