DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Police’s Special Task Force has decided to offer cash rewards to citizens for credible information leading to the seizure of drugs, destruction of illegal crops or detection of clandestine drug manufacturing units, as part of efforts to curb narcotics trafficking in the state.
Under the new reward scheme, informants providing actionable intelligence about narcotics consignments, illegal drug production or factories will be eligible for payments based on the quantity and purity of the substance recovered.
Their identities will be kept strictly confidential. The STF has sent detailed instructions to senior superintendents and superintendents of police in all districts.
The highest reward has been fixed for cocaine related information, with informants eligible to receive up to Rs 2.40 lakh per kilogram.
The maximum rate for heroin is Rs 1.20 lakh per kg, while information leading to seizures of morphine, amphetamine or methamphetamine could fetch Rs 20,000 per kg.
The prescribed ceiling is Rs 10,000 per kg for hashish oil, Rs 6,000 for opium, Rs 2,000 for hashish and Rs 600 for cannabis. Information resulting in the detection and destruction of illegal opium or cannabis cultivation may attract a reward of up to Rs 10,000 per hectare.
Officials clarified that these are maximum rates. The actual payment will depend on stipulated conditions, the quantity and purity of the contraband, the role of the informant or official, laboratory test reports and approval by the competent authority.
The Inspector General of Police, Law and Order, can approve rewards of up to Rs 30,000 for police personnel and Rs 60,000 for informants.
Rewards ranging from Rs 30,000 to Rs 1 lakh for officials and Rs 60,000 to Rs 2 lakh for informants will require approval from a state-level committee. Higher amounts will be referred to the Central Reward Committee.
“Rewards for police officers, personnel and informants will be determined in accordance with Narcotics Control Bureau guidelines and laboratory reports establishing the prescribed purity of the seized substance,” STF Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh told TNIE.
The STF has cautioned citizens against attempting to investigate suspicious premises, entering such properties or confronting suspected traffickers. “Such action can place individuals in serious danger. The safest course is to immediately share the information with the police,” officials said.
Singh said the STF had been conducting sustained operations against organised drug networks across the state. Investigations have identified illegal drug manufacturing units in Pithoragarh, Selaqui, Roorkee, Bhagwanpur and Kotdwar.
“Several successful operations have been launched on the basis of inputs received from informants,” Singh said. “The reward scheme will encourage wider public participation and strengthen our campaign against the illegal narcotics trade.”
