Kochi, April 30 Hugely popular rapper Vedan, whose real name is Hirandas Murali, was granted bail on Wednesday by a local court in Perumbavoor, Kerala, in a case involving the possession of a tiger’s tooth.
The 28-year-old artist landed in trouble earlier this week when he was taken into custody by the State Excise Department from his rented apartment in Kochi, following a tip-off.
During the raid, officials seized 6 grams of ganja, and Vedan admitted to having smoked it. He was granted bail the same day by the police.
However, the case took a new turn when Forest Department officials, who had also joined the search, discovered a large tooth strung into a necklace belonging to the rapper. Preliminary examination confirmed it was a tiger’s tooth, a protected wildlife part under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Following this, Forest officials took Vedan into custody on Monday night. He was produced before the Perumbavoor court on Tuesday and remanded to two days’ custody to aid the investigation.
Vedan told the court that the tooth had been gifted to him by a Sri Lankan national, Renjith Kumbidi, whom he had met on Instagram. He claimed he was unaware that possessing the tooth was illegal and offered to cooperate with the Forest Department in tracing the person who gave it to him.
The Forest Department opposed the bail plea. The court rejected Vedan’s arguments that he was not aware of the law, saying ignorance of the law is no defence. Despite that, the court accepted Vedan’s assurance of cooperation and granted him bail on Wednesday.
Incidentally, when the bail application of Vedan was being moved, came the news that his latest release of a love rap song has been received well by his fans and has gained online popularity.
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