KOCHI: Hostels offering accommodation for backpackers at economical rates in the city have come under the scanner after an anti-drug operation of city police found such hostels are becoming major drug abuse spots for youngsters.
Police could blow the lid off the drug peddling racket supplying ganja and other drugs to youths taking accommodation at such facilities when South Police Station team recently raided a hostel at Panampilly Nagar and arrested six youths for ganja abuse.
Officers said the youths, aged between 21 and 24, were from different places in the state and had come together at the hostel “Pin Point” for drug abuse.While two of them were from Kollam, three were from Pathanamthitta and one from Kannur.
Police said the inputs revealed that the peddlers ran a 24-hour supply network targeting hostels where backpackers stayed. The drug bust was made after shadow police officers did a recce at the spot and tracked activities of the suspects.
“There are couriers who deliver ganja by operating a 24-hour distribution ring. We also suspect that these agents work in shifts to cater to the demand,” said an officer. Of late, the police were using CCTV surveillance systems at various places in the city to track drug peddlers.
City Police Commissioner Nagaraju Chakilam said surprise checks will be conducted at all such hostels.
“People from across Kerala and even from outside keep using them as economy accommodation for genuine reasons, but there are instances where we find drug peddlers thriving at such places. We will hold the managers and owners responsible if their CCTV systems and registers are not maintained properly,” he added.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Kuriakose V U said the police could bust the drug abuse happening at such places because of the constant surveillance being maintained. “We have deployed shadow police teams to collect inputs from the ground. There will be surprise checks at suspected places where drug trafficking is happening,” Kuriakose added.