Bengaluru, Dec 7 (IANS): Bengaluru police have arrested a cab driver and recovered Ya Ba and Ecstasy (MDMA) tablets and heroin concealed in a teddy bear doll that was kept in the car, the police said on Monday.

According to the police, the accused has been identified as Shakir Hussain Choudhry, 34, a resident of Monacherra village in Assam.

The police said that the accused has been staying in Bengaluru for the last five years and he himself is Ya Ba tablet addict.

The police added that Ya Ba is a Thai name which literally means 'mad drug' and it is even known as Ya Ma which in Thai means 'horse drug'. These tablets contain Methamphetamine. The illicit use of this drug has been seen largely in southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Myanmar, but now it is easily available in Bangladesh also, the police said.

The Ya Ba drug is used to keep a person awake and alert for a minimum of 24 hours. "Of late, this drug is being used by college students who take this during examination and then they get addicted to it," the police said, adding that the tablet was extensively used by truck and bus drivers in southeast Asian nations.