BENGALURU: The Karnataka government has established an Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) to curb the rising drug menace, with a sanctioned strength of 66 personnel. An officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) will head the newly formed unit, which will report directly to Director General of Police (Cyber Command), the government order issued on August 1 stated.
As per the order, 10 new posts have been created for the ANTF, while 56 staff members will be drawn from the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF). The newly created roles include two additional superintendents of police (Addl SPs) and deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) each, one assistant administrative officer, section superintendent, junior assistant, first division assistant, stenographer and dalayat. The 56 personnel to be drawn from the ANF will include two police inspectors and four police sub-inspectors (PSIs), 20 head constables and 30 constables.
A senior IPS officer told TNIE that the ANTF was created as a dedicated and specialised force to crack down on drug trafficking, distribution and abuse across the state. The task force aims to improve coordination between districts, central and intelligence units in order to dismantle organised drug networks.
Cyber Crime Prevention Unit
To strengthen cybercrime investigation and reduce burden, the Karnataka government has also restructured its approach by establishing a Cyber Crime Prevention Unit. As part of the exercise, 43 CEN (Cyber, Economic and Narcotic) police stations across the state will be renamed cyber crime police stations.
As part of the change, the authority to register narcotics and economic offence cases has been withdrawn from these stations. These cases will now be registered at local police stations. Cyber units will be empowered to register cases under the Information Technology (IT) Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), ensuring more focused and efficient handling of cybercrimes in the state.
A senior IPS officer said the restructured cyber units will now focus exclusively on cyber offences. CEN stations previously handled three major types of crimes, which are complex in nature. This often burdened the staff due to lack of specialisation. With the number of digital offences increasing, the state has taken a decision to strengthen investigation by creating a cyber crime prevention unit.