Significant rise in narcotics cases in 2019, says report
BENGALURU: The number of narcotics cases booked in Bengaluru has almost tripled in 2019, jumping to 768 from 286 compared with the year before, according to City Crime Records Bureau figures. Although police have tended to crack down on drug peddlers, they will now focus even on people who consumer drugs.“Drug consumers or addicts are a threat to society. Cases are registered only after doctors certify a person to be under their influence.” Last month alone, over 30 cases were registered,” Additional Commissioner of Police (East) S Murugan told Express.
“Rise in the numbers show that we have become more proactive. We advocate preventive action. It will take another six months to make the Cyber Economic Narcotic (CEN) stations fully functional so they can look into narcotic cases too,” said City police commissioner Bhaskar Rao.Last year, 1,047 kg ganja was seized and 1,193 Indians were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS). “We have informants and those who are already into drugs.
We find out through their connections how drugs are smuggled in. It is always a group of people involved who take the risk to travel to these places and collect the parcel personally. Synthetic drugs like cocaine are brought by foreigners travelling from cities like Mumbai,” said another senior police official. However, parcels sent through the darknet are difficult to track since they are sent from countries where drugs are legal. “The parcel is sent directly to the homes),” a senior officer told TNIE.This week alone, police arrested at least six people in different parts of the city and seized MDMA, 4.3kg hashish oil, 21.5kg ganja, Rs 9,000 cash, two phones, two ganja crushing tools and 625 empty boxes.