Taking cognisance of increasing incidents of narcotics being sold near educational institutions and industrial establishments in the State capital and other parts of State, Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) BS Sidhu has directed district police heads to take steps for preventing sale of these narcotics with the help of local Intelligence Unit.
Sidhu said, "We have already issued instructions to the district police officers to suspend police station-in-charge if drug peddlers are caught supplying these items in the area under their jurisdiction. Observers opined that the business of drugs is flourishing in Uttarakhand especially in Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and other places due to the large scale profits involved in this trade.”
Students residing in hostels are said to be the main consumers of these drugs. There has been an alarming increase in such cases over the years. Delay in action against drugs peddlers may lead to many more school and college going students getting addicted to drugs. Sidhu expressed disappointment at increasing incidents of narcotics being sold near educational institutions, well-known private schools and colleges in Dehradun and other parts of the State.
“All possible steps will be taken to destroy the drug smuggling networks in the State,” he added. In three years, Dehradun police had conducted drives against drug peddlers at different places in Dehradun and recovered pharmaceutical drugs, hashish, smack and other narcotics with an estimated value of crores of rupees in the international market. The Dehradun police had recovered 12 kg hashish and 260 grams smack in the year 2011; 10 kg hashish and 435 grams smack in 2012 and 88 kg hashish; 833 grams smack and 17 grams Brown sugar in 2013.
In all the cases, Dehradun police had arrested the suppliers under sections 8/20/60 of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and they were sent to Suddhowala Jail after being produced in the court. During interrogation, the accused had admitted their offences and said that they had brought narcotics from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarkashi, Bareilly and other places to supply it to the educational intuitions and industrial establishments. In Haridwar, the number of cases registered under NDPS Act this year is 19 till September 2013 while 40 cases registered in 2012 and 27 cases in 2011. In all the cases, accused were arrested under NDPS Act and sent to jail after being produced in the court.