Kochi police to launch aggressive 2-week drive

KOCHI: In the wake of the recent incident in Thiruvananthapuram where a youth was brutally attacked and killed by a group of youngsters under the influence of drugs, the Kochi city police is launching a massive two-week drive against drug mafia and anti-social elements.

According  to city police commissioner S. Surendran, a special team headed by the special branch assistant commissioner would lead the two-week drive in which all police officials in the city will be part of.

The drive, likely to be launched within two days with the coordination of the excise department, will focus on both major and minor antisocial elements connected to the drug mafia.

“At first, with the available information, they will be categorised and will be put under the scanner. Their hideouts will be traced and raided. Cyber cell and scientific teams will be part of the drive to trace the source. Cases will be registered against the arrested invoking IPC, CrPC sections, Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, and Goonda Act etc. Besides, the photos and other details will be made available to every police offices in the state so that they can be traced anywhere,” he said.

As per the excise department data, 129 NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act cases have been registered in Ernakulam district alone in the last 45 days. Around 20 kg of ganja, 6 gm of MDMA, 127 gm of hashish, 80 gm of LSD (known as the party drug), two ganja plants, and morphine ampoules were seized these days, leading to the arrest of 135 people, besides 16 vehicles.

According to K. Chandrapalan, deputy excise commissioner, Ernakulam, there is a sharp increase in the number of teenagers, especially schoolchildren, getting caught in drug-related cases nowadays.

“The mafia groups offer them huge money for acting as carriers. For socially backward students, the offer won’t be easy to reject. They even don’t know the risks. School students, mainly in plus-one and plus-two classes, are becoming their targets,” he said.

Mr Chandrapalan said four students were taken into custody recently for getting hold of drugs, including ganja, hashish, and LSD smuggled from Bangalore by themselves.

Recently in North Paravur, a 66-year-old person murdered his teenage son addicted to drugs and committed suicide. The police recovered a suicide note from the father in which he owned up to the murder and stated he was despondent by his violent son whom he claimed as addicted to drugs and alcohol.   

In January, a 34-year-old drug addict who attacked his mother under the influence of drugs got accidentally stabbed by the home nurse while trying to stop him from the act.  Three days ago, Mulavukad police arrested three persons who harassed a woman and robbed money in an inebriated state on Puthuvype beach.