Published Oct 04, 2024 | 10:29 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 04, 2024 | 3:52 PM
Hubballi Dharwad City Police Commissioner N Shashikumar interacting with one of the identified drugs consumers and their parents during special drive in Hubballi City. (supplied)
Hubballi-Dharwad City has become a battleground in the fight against narcotics. The city police have launched a special drive to combat the growing drug menace, particularly among youths.
This initiative comes in response to recent violent and tragic incidents, including the murder of Neha Hiremath, as the accused were said to be under the influence of narcotic substances.
Over the past three months, a series of targeted operations have led to the arrest of more than 100 drug peddlers and the detention of 950 consumers, exposing a deeply entrenched network of illicit drug trade in the twin city.
This is said to be one of the biggest drives against drugs in the twin city as over 200 FIRs have been registered against peddlers and consumers under the various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
Additionally, while interrogating the drug peddlers, the police have traced the drug sources to other states, mainly Odisha, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
In a concerted effort to combat the escalating drug menace, law enforcement agencies have conducted four special operations.
These drives, aimed at apprehending users and disrupting the supply chain, were initiated after meticulous planning that involved identifying individuals who had previously purchased drugs, claimed police.
Phase one of the initiative began with the compilation of a list identifying individuals who had purchased drugs from known peddlers.
A simultaneous operation was launched across all police stations, resulting in the apprehension of 399 individuals for drug use, all of whom underwent medical examinations.
Of the 399, 254 tested positive for drug consumption. Consequently, 58 FIRs were filed against the confirmed users, and legal proceedings were initiated.
Q: ಹುಬ್ಬಳ್ಳಿ ಧಾರವಾಡದಾಗ ಏನ ಟ್ರೆಂಡ್ ನಡಿಯಾಕತ್ತತ್ರೀ…??
A: ಡ್ರಗ್ಸ್ ಬಿಡ್ರಿ.. ಇಲ್ಲಾ ಊರ ಬಿಡ್ರಿ..‼️
Q: ಅದು ಹೆಂಗ್ರೀ
A: 2 ನಿಮಿಷ ಇಲ್ಲೇ ಓದ್ರೀ..ಕಳೆದ 3 ತಿಂಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಹು-ಧಾ ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ವತಿಯಿಂದ ಡ್ರಗ್ಸ್ ಮುಕ್ತ ಸಮಾಜ ನಿರ್ಮಾಣ ಮಾಡುವಲ್ಲಿ ಕೈಗೊಂಡ ಕ್ರಮಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಸಣ್ಣ ವಿವರಣೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿದೆ. (1/14)#Thread 🧵 pic.twitter.com/z9hpAb7Oq1
— ಹು-ಧಾ ನಗರ ಪೊಲೀಸ್ | Hubballi-Dharwad City Police (@compolhdc) September 29, 2024
Following the success of phase one, police arrested 467 drug users in the second phase. It was confirmed that 251 of these individuals had consumed drugs, leading to the filing of 45 FIRs.
The focus shifted towards school and college students in the third phase. A targeted operation apprehended 350 users, with 231 confirmed to have used drugs. Alarmingly, 79 of these were students. Legal action ensued, resulting in 38 FIRs.
The fourth and final phase of the operation involved raids across police station jurisdictions. Over 515 drug users were targeted, with legal action taken against 145 individuals, who tested positive. As many as 34 FIRs were filed.
Over the past three months, the twin city police have filed more than 200 FIRs against drug peddlers, leading to the arrest of over 100 individuals involved in trafficking. Medical examinations were conducted on over 1,900 suspected drug users, with more than 950 testing positive for drug use, resulting in over 175 FIRs filed.
Of the 950 individuals who tested positive for drug use, 150 were students.
Hubballi-Dharwad City is known for its commercial activities and serves as a hub for thousands of students, particularly from North Karnataka.
The twin city is home to several prestigious educational institutions. Each year, it attracts thousands of students from neighbouring districts seeking quality education.
The third phase of the special drive underscored the severity of the drug menace among students in Hubballi-Dharwad city. Labourers, autorickshaw drivers, construction employees and youth are the other large consumers found in this drive.
Approximately 1,800 individuals, suspected of drug use, underwent narcotics testing. Of those tested, 950 returned positive results. Among the identified users, 150 are reported to be students from prestigious institutions in the city.
“We had conducted an exclusive drive to identify students that were taking drugs. We also identified schools, colleges, institutions, hostels and paying guest accommodations vulnerable to drug menace,” Hubballi Dharwad City DCP (law and order) Mahaning B Nandaganvi told South First.
“We do not pick students randomly for drug testing. We pick up students if and only if there is an established link to peddlers and suspicion of them being under the influence of narcotic substances,” he explained.
“When we interrogate drug peddlers, we ascertain information about users, and places being used for drug consumption. We attempt to dig deep to unearth as much information as possible. Youth below the age of 30 years are largely victims of drugs,” DCP Nandaganvi said, adding that the identities of the students were not disclosed considering their future.
“We have booked consumers under section 27(B) of the NDPS Act, 1985. Over 200 FIRs have been exclusively filed on consumers during these special drives. They won’t face any hurdles in the future. The users will be penalised with a fine of up to ₹10,000,” the officer said.
“We have alerted the parents of the students in most cases, and they have extended full support for the rehabilitation of their children. We also counselled them. Parents expressed happiness over carrying out this drive against drug menace,” the DCP added.
Hubballi-Dharwad City Police Commissioner N Shashikumar asserted that the special drives have significantly contributed to cracking down on the growing drug menace, especially among youths, leading to the arrest and detainment of hundreds of drug peddlers and consumers.
“There have been incidents of violence during Ganesh Chaturthi and other processions in the twin city. There have been isolated incidents of rowdyism, where sharp weapons were used,” he said.
“People complained that these crimes were surging due to drug abuse. We acted upon their grievances and launched special drives against the drug menace in the Hubballi Dharwad City,” Shashikumar told South First.
On strategies to tackle the drug menace in the twin city, the officer said, “The strategy was to initially find out drug peddlers, who were peddling it within, and outside the city. Once more than 15 to 16 cases were registered and 100 peddlers arrested, the question was about consumption.”
“Consumption is an offence and people often get away without facing legal proceedings. Information about the consumers was ascertained from the drug peddlers themselves. Once the peddlers were picked up, through their mobiles, contacts and account transactions – consumers were also identified,” the commissioner explained.
The officer said of the 1,800 people tested for drug use, 800 tested positive.
“When the drive was launched, the consumption was 63 per cent. It dipped to 50 percent, and in further phases, it went down to 40 percent and in the last drive it was 28 percent. The drug menace is gradually decreasing in the twin city,” the commissioner stated.
Interstate network
During the crackdown, the police found that drugs came from other states, including Andhra Pradesh, highlighting the wider network of the illegal trade.
“On interrogating peddlers, it was found out that they sourced drugs from Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha and Maharashtra,” Commissioner Shashikumar said.
“We are putting continuous efforts to crack down on big drug peddlers but couldn’t catch anyone so far. Efforts are on, with the police and intelligence personnel gathering the necessary information about the big drug peddlers,” the officer exuded confidence.
Shashikumar said professional college students comprised only a part of the clientele of the peddlers. “Their (the peddlers) main target were labourers — construction employees, autorickshaw drivers and those who are into manual work of arduous nature,” he said.
In a bid to tackle the drug menace in the twin city, Commissioner Shashikumar has assigned a sub-inspector in every police station to exclusively deal with narcotics cases.
“All cases registered about narcotics/drugs will be looked after by the same sub-inspector because he will have detailed knowledge about the drug problems in their respective police limits,” he said, adding that this will ensure a proper check on the illegal activity.
On the future course of action, he said, “We are trying to gather technical evidence from mobile phones seized from the accused (peddlers). We will further develop a pattern of supply and consumption.”
“We are working on identifying hotspots. We will try to keep a constant watch on the accused and hotspots,” the commissioner added.
The officer said the government has issued clear instructions that any lapses in cracking down on the drug menace would be treated as negligence/dereliction of duty and action would be taken against the officers concerned.
“We have taken it seriously and full efforts will be made to curb the drug menace,” the commissioner added.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
