Excise yet to get nod to track drug peddlers

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Over 40,000 Abkari cases are registered in the state annually,  but excise officials have still not been authorised to get call details or mobile phone locations of the  spirit mafia from the service provider.

“Unlike policemen, excise officers need to monitor the suspects mostly when they are on the move. Also, we need to catch them in the act of smuggling the spirit.

However, we are still dependent on vehicle checking and tip- offs from rivals in Akbari cases. If we get the neccessary authorisation, it will be possible to solve cases just by tracking the pattern of calls and the suspects’ location as they shuttle from state to state,” said a Range officer.

When contacted, Deputy Excise Commissioner (Abkari), Suresh Babu said  a formal request had been sent to the state and Union governments seeking  amendment of IT laws to give excise officers access to phone- call details.

“The excise is presently given limited access to only call details of drug peddlers (NDPS cases). But even here, we need to first seek the permission of an ADGP level officer in the police, who mediates between us and the service provider. If we got the authorisation ourselves, we could clamp down hard on the spirit mafia business,” he said.