Kerala rapper Vedan re-arrested after tiger’s tooth found in necklace

Kochi: Hours after he was released on bail by a police station in Kochi for smoking and possessing drugs, the Kerala Forest officials took the rap singer Vedan, famously known as ‘Rapper Vedan’, into custody on Tuesday, officials said.

Later, when he was produced at a local court in Perumbavoor near here, Vedan was sent to custody by the state Forest officials for two days after a big tooth found in his necklace was identified as a tiger’s tooth.

The tiger’s tooth, he said, was a gift from one of the singer’s fans.

The gift came from a Sri Lankan national Renjith Kumbidi and Vedan said the two became friends through Instagram.

Even though he tried to wriggle out by saying that he never knew that it was a tiger’s tooth, the state Forest officials recorded his arrest soon after he was released on bail on Monday night, after he admitted smoking drugs, with six grams of it seized from his flat when the Excise officials acting on a tip-off conducted a raid.

On Tuesday morning the singer was produced by the Forest officials and the court granted a two-day custody to Kumbidi and Vedan.

The Forest officials have sought two days’ time for further questioning and also to collect evidence.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of Excise officials on Monday reached the flat of Vedan, whose real name is Hirandas Murali.

The flat was taken on rent by Vedan and his associates, and when the Excise officials barged in, there were eight others as well.

A search revealed that six grams of ganja (marijuana) were recovered from Vedan’s flat.

“He (Vedan) has admitted to using ganja,” said the Excise officials.

During the raid, the officials also searched the two vehicles that the music troupe of Vedan uses.

It was during the Excise raid that the tiger’s tooth surfaced which he uses as a locket on his necklace and always flaunts it during his stage shows.

Soon the matter was intimated to the Forest officials, who after preliminary probe took him into custody.

Vedan shot to fame through his rap shows, which are held under the banner of his troupe named ‘Voice of the Voiceless’.

In 2020 the 25-year-old Hirandas Murali began his rap career, and he took the name Vedan.

In the same year, three of his works in films -- ‘Nayattu’, ‘Karam’ and ‘Manjummel Boys’, in which he was the lyricist, became popular, and the singer turned out to be a huge sensation.

Since then, he has had a huge fan following.