BENGALURU: Bengaluru police have stopped registering First Information Reports (FIRs) against those caught in drug abuse cases for the first time. Instead, the police are turning them into informants to crack down on drug peddlers and drug networks. Cases are, however, booked if they are caught again.
This strategy seems to have worked and in the last six months, 619 kg of drugs have been seized and 219 accused arrested, including 36 foreign nationals.
Earlier, the police booked cases against drug abusers under Section 27B of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, resulting in court fines of Rs 10,000 or an imprisonment of up to six months.
City Police Commissioner B Dayananda told TNIE, “Our focus and target is to reduce the entry and sale of drugs in the city. Booking cases against drug abusers only increases the number of cases in the documents. By using them as sources, we can catch peddlers and dismantle their networks. From last year, the number of seizures and arrest of peddlers has increased,” he said.
He explained that the youth, who often seek an adrenaline rush, experiment with prohibited substances. If they are booked, it can turn them into addicts or peddlers. It could also stigmatise them and potentially ruin their lives, he added.
This approach, however, does not imply leniency for all drug consumers. “Not all drug users are given a free pass,” he noted. “We verify if an individual is a habitual abuser.”
Cops use balanced approach
Also, the police are stringent in cases where drug users are involved in accidents under the influence or are caught at rave parties. They are booked and have to face legal consequences. This balanced approach aims to address the root cause of drug abuse while ensuring public safety and reducing drug-related incidents in Bengaluru, he said.