Idukki (Keralam) | Former Thodupuzha municipal chairman Saneesh George was taken into custody on suspicion of drug abuse here on Thursday, officials said.

George was taken into custody following a search conducted by the Idukki District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force as part of the police anti-drug drive, Operation Toofan, they said.

According to officials, the team reached an isolated location near Thodupuzha in the early hours of Thursday based on information that George was allegedly using drugs there.

By the time the team arrived, he had allegedly consumed the substance, police said.

Officials said no synthetic drug was recovered from his possession and that he was taken into custody on suspicion of having consumed a narcotic substance.

He was later taken to the Kaliyar police station as part of the investigation.

Police collected his blood samples and sent them for testing to ascertain whether he had consumed a narcotic substance, officials said.

Based on the test results, police will register a case and take further action, they said.

George had won the 2020 municipal election as a UDF rebel and became chairman with the support of the LDF.

He resigned as Thodupuzha municipal chairman in 2024 after being named as an accused in a bribery case.