For Hyderabad cops, peddlers’ cars, mobiles come under ‘drug’
In 2020 and earlier, there were instances of huge quantities of drug seizures without a vehicle being mentioned in official press releases
HYDERABAD: In an effort to show bigger drug hauls following the Chief Minister’s directive to crack down on peddlers and consumers, some city police are allegedly inflating the value of drugs seized by adding the cost of vehicles, mobile phones and other valuables seized during the drive.
In 2020 and earlier, there were instances of huge quantities of drug seizures without a vehicle being mentioned in the official press releases. For example, on March 11, 2020, in an official press release, the East Zone Task Force officials said they had nabbed four men for possessing 96 kg of marijuana. The press note mentioned the contraband, three phones and some cash, as if they had transported the whole 96 kilos on foot.
However, in an official release about a drugs case by the Cyberabad police on Saturday, the value of the seizure was shown as Rs 10 lakh, which included MDMA worth Rs 4.90 lakh (as shown in the release) and a car, apart from a phone and a mini weighing machine.
About the inclusion of vehicles, Cyberabad commissioner Stephen Ravindra said if the peddlers used vehicles, it would be seized. “If the accused used a vehicle to sell drugs, or if they had purchased a vehicle with the drug money, it would be seized along with the drugs,” he explained.