Hyderabad drug bust: Schools feel the heat

Hyderabad: The manner in which the authorities are dealing with the sensitive issue of school children being involved in the drug racket that is currently under investigation, has produced much confusion, suspicion and lack of clarity. 

Though the excise department insists that it has not revealed any information about any student who has bought drugs, or revealed the names of the schools whose students figured in the mobile phones of suppliers arrested by the police, a list of schools and students alleged to be involved in drug racket has been circulated on What’sApp and social media and this has greatly upset parents. 

On the basis of that list, sources say that parents of three children from an international school in the IT corridor have applied for a transfer certificate, while parents who suspect that their children may be involved are getting their charges tested.

A college in the North Zone sent three students for testing and all three tested positive for drugs. The  college is providing counselling for these students.

Assistant Commissioner of Special Task Force of Enforcement wing of Excise and Prohibition K. Pavan Kumar said that no names of any student or school/college has been revealed. “We will info-rm the parents of the identified children and we don’t inform it to school’s management,” he said.

Ashish Naredi of the Hyderabad School Parents’ Association said, “So far no one knows which school is involved in the racket and who the students are. Now, colleges and schools are taking precautionary measures and sending SMSes to parents stating that they are not on the police list,” he said.

Principal of Johnson Grammar School P. Ushasri said that the school is not involved in the drugs’ issue but it is organising awareness programmes for the children on the issue. 

“We are not allowing students to carry smartphones and have alerted them not to entertain strangers. Parents are convinced by our explanations,” she said.

Excise clueless on further investigation 
After arresting 10 persons in the last seven days in connection with the LSD-MDMA drugs case, staff from excise and enforcement department is clueless on further investigation.

The department has come to the conclusion that Kelvin was the prime accused in the racket and he was bringing drugs from the US and other parts of the globe through Dark-Web/DarkNet channels.

For further investigation, the enforcement wing is seeking the custody of four prime accused.

It is learnt that following criticism from the government on the publicity surrounding the drugs case, chief of enforcement Akun Sabharwal went on sick leave after sending messages to the media. There is no information on when he would rejoin.

Deputy Chief Minister and education minister Kadiam Srihari told media that the investigation agency must maintain restraint on this issue since it is “very sensitive”.