Drug abuse: Service apartments new havens for narcotics-fuelled parties

Hyderabad: “Work hard, play harder, right? The trip for weekend is planned. Click on the location map to find our spot. Be there by 7 pm,” was the message sent around on Whatsapp among a group of techies on May 26. The message was strictly secret and meant only for the individuals who belonged to that particular group. The location map attached in the message would lead to a serviced apartment, where a drug-fuelled party would take place on the weekend.

The party would go on for hours on Saturday night. The duplex apartment would be filled with men and women, who snorted cocaine, smoked weed, and licked LSD. They partied hard till dawn without being haunted by law enforcement agencies.

Serviced apartments that can be rented for a day or two on weekends have come to provide a safe haven for the closed drug circles of techies in the IT sector. 

Unlike pubs or farmhouses, where police keep a watch, service apartments in the posh residential areas provide a suitable space for junkies, who just need to pay Rs 4,000 or so  for a duplex flat that can accommodate their drug-fuelled parties. 

Although cops had earlier busted one or two prostitution rackets, there has been no constant vigil over serviced apartments in the city. The rental policy of service apartment owners has been a major concern for the police.

“The owner usually gives it away for two days and the return (rent) is so high that it is more profitable than renting it out on a permanent basis. The owners usually do not bother what happens inside, as long as the money is paid on time and there is no damage to their property,” said a senior official from Cyberabad.

The techies, or even students, generally cite birthday parties or office parties as reasons for renting these places out. But besides the drug-fuelled parties, the apartments are often used for prostitution, too.