Drugs network targeting college campus!

aaron, Jul 5, 2019, 9:13 AM IST

Puttur: The business of procuring narcotics into Puttur from Kerala through the border villages is on the rise and the suspicion that the drug network is concentrating to spread its tentacles within college campus is causing an environment of fear.

The drug network has converted students of several colleges as their loyal customers and encouraging them to make use of opium, ganja and other forms of drugs.

Entry through inner roads

The peddlers get the drugs from Kerala through Sullia into Puttur via the inner roads where there is no police activity and provide it to the students at specific locations after the end of classes. There is allegation that this organized system has been functional since years together.

Initially the network targets a student, converts him into a customer and through him, the networks weaves in his friends as his customers and soon the student becomes a peddler. Thus, the well planned drug network is systematically destroying the future of the students. The network is getting stronger by the day and the parents fear is increasing by the minute.

Illegal guest house!

According to the information found locally, illegal paying guest facilities opening along the roads connecting to the college and the sudden appearance of petty shops along the road side allegedly happen to be the hotspots for trade in narcotics. The cops do not have information regarding illegal paying guest facilities, neither does the local administration. Thus, the drug trade is occurring in an almost secure environment.

Earlier, the police have arrested several in connection to the peddling of ganja at Nehru Nagar, Kurnadka Darbe and other areas. But there is no information regarding what happened later.

There is criticism that no proper investigation has been conducted to find out from where the drug is being procured and who is providing it. Those who ae arrested come out on bail and immediately revert back to the same illegal activity.

Police station refuses to provide information!

If information regarding how many ganja cases have been booked is sought from Puttur city police station, they refuse to divulge the information within their jurisdiction. They insist that the information can be procured only from the district level. Meanwhile, hen the information was requested from the concerned senior officers, they inform that the information is available at the concerned police station. Thus the information is not available in good time.

433 cases have been booked by the excise department and 5 cases have been registered by NDPS in connection to drug abuse in 2019 up till now, inform police sources.

The students caught the abusers!

A few years back, police had arrested a few students who were acting erratically after having celebrated a birthday party and consumed ganja. In 2017, some students caught a drug peddler in a cinematic fashion and handed him over to the cops. Several cases like this have confirmed the existence of a drug ring. Earlier once, there was information that ganja was being supplied to the students near Nellikatte old school building in Puttur. As if in evidence, cigarette butts and narcotic substances were found within the old building at Nellikatte. The locals had requested the police to deploy beat along this route in the night.

Strict watch by the department

The police department has maintained a watch to control the drug network. On finding the peddling of ganja, opium and other narcotics, cases are booked as per the law. Maximum punishment may also be delivered. – Dinakata Shetty, DySP, Puttur Division