City police step up drive against drugs

Hyderabad: The city police on Wednesday launched specialist units, the Hyderabad narcotics enforcement wing (HNEW), and the narcotics investigation supervision wing (NISW), as it gears itself to combat the menace of increasing drugs and narcotics sale and use in the city.

Calling drug racketeering as the ‘most organized’ among all crimes, DGP M. Mahendar Reddy, who formally launched the two specialized units, declared that they would put an end to sourcing, procuring, transporting, distribution, sale and consumption of drugs.

The business of narcotics is run by a network of well-organized gangs, who ensure compartmentalization of their activities with those who source who are unaware of the buyer, transporters who do not know who the receivers are, and those who distribute and sell having no knowledge of where the drugs are really coming from.

“Such organized activity needs a 360-degree network in order to be one step ahead of the police. And the police need to be able to react with lightning speed, with a singular focus, which is to curb drug racketeering,” Reddy said.

Telangana, he said, has experience in creating and sustaining such effective units as in the case of Greyhounds and Octopus, which are focused only on their tasks and are not distracted by any other policing activity. The two new units will strengthen the department’s efforts to put an end to the drug menace in the state. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is determined that there should be no narcotics in the state. The department is in the process of recruiting 1,000 officers for narcotics control enforcement in the state and creating a special ecosystem within the department for tackling the menace, he said.

Hyderabad city police commissioner CV Anand said that by following the Chief Minister’s directions, they had for the first time arrested industrialists and businessmen in the drugs case involving Nigerian ‘Tony’.

He said that HNEZ, with a DCP heading it, will operate as an independent unit with the city police. While this unit will collect intelligence, conduct raids, NISW will follow all parameters to ensure that the culprits are brought to book.

Infograph

Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing will:

Generate intelligence to detect and disrupt organized drug trafficking groups.

Raid such group hideouts, business outlets in coordination with the local police

Collect information on suppliers, peddlers and consumers and maintain a data bank.

Narcotic Investigation Supervision Wing will:

Primarily monitor, assist and supervise the investigation of drugs cases.

Assist local police from the stage of seizure of contraband, registration of FIR, to filing of the charge-sheet.

The trial of cases will be monitored to ensure the conviction of the accused.

Citizen tipline

A dedicated call centre with landline number 040-2785-2080 & mobile number 94906-16688 to be set up.