‘Shut colleges brought down narcotics cases in Navi Mumbai’

With the closure of schools and colleges during the lockdown, the narcotic cases in Navi Mumbai have gone down in 2020

With the closure of schools and colleges during the lockdown, the narcotic cases in Navi Mumbai have gone down in 2020.

Deputy commissioner of police, crime, Pravin Patil, said that during the lockdown, there was a strict vigil at all posts and the movement of the drug peddlers was restricted.

Navi Mumbai being an educational hub, most dealings were conducted by youngsters across the campuses in the city. About 99 per cent of the drug movement was stopped during the lockdown due to closure of campuses, claimed the police.

However, dealers used web portals and courier services for sale of drugs ordered online in the form of home appliances or groceries, making it difficult to trace.

While 153 cases were registered in 2019, a mere 61 were registered in 2020, out of which 35 were registered before March and the remaining 26 from March to December, according to the Anti-Narcotic Cell (ANC).

The Navi Mumbai ANC also claimed that the sale of cocaine, heroin and hashish has reduced during the lockdown while consumption of synthetic drugs like LSD, MD, brown sugar and ketamine increased.

Deputy commissioner of police, crime, Pravin Patil, said, “We initiated a special drive against narcotics in 2019 and registered 153 cases and seized drugs worth ₹2.80Cr. The drive continued in the early 2020 wherein we registered 35 cases in the first three months. However, during the lockdown, there was a strict vigil at all posts and the movement of the drug peddlers was restricted. In the last two to three months, their movement has again increased after normalcy was beginning to set in. We registered 26 offences in this period.”

In 2016, the ANC registered 77 cases in which 142 were arrested. In 2017, the cases were decreased to 54 cases in which 74 accused were arrested. In 2018, 44 cases were registered and 80 arrested.

The ANC police inspector Ravindra Budhwant said, “Due to the lockdown, peddlers and consumers were locked in the house. Thus, trafficking was less. Most of the dealing in Navi Mumbai is at the campuses of educational institutions, especially the higher education. Last year, 99 per cent of the dealings in campuses were stopped. However, most shifted online. We got a tip off that their network was activated after June wherein they used mobile applications and online portals. The consumers would order through courier services disguising them as home appliances or groceries.”

Budhwant added that the police would work with the cyber cell to know how much of the business was shifted online.

Synthetic drugs on the rise

A number of synthetic drugs on the market including Ecstasy, LSD and methamphetamine are said to be more effective than the natural ones, and thus more in demand. In most of the consumption cases, police have found the involvement of youngsters more even during the lockdown period.

Earlier they used to deal with marijuana, Mephedrone (MD) and hashish (charas), but now they are increasing their network with other drugs. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) paper, heroin, most of the synthetic drugs, which use more chemicals than natural ingredients, are riskier than normal drugs, said an officer.

Budhwant said, “These drugs are marketed as being good for concentration or being a herbal product. Most of these messages are made viral through social media. When the schools and colleges were operational, we communicated with the students every month. However, now our spread is limited.”

Young dealers on the radar

Apart from the poor drug addicts and dealers, other main dealers are youngsters, especially students. An officer from ANC said, “We believe these student peddlers belong to a chain of illegal supply of drugs that are brought from outside the district and sold to students by local suppliers, which eventually reach the campuses here. These students act as a link between drug suppliers and campuses. We don’t like to arrest students but if they don’t mend their ways, it leaves us with no choice.”

The ANC have asked the volunteer teachers of schools and colleges to keep sending awareness messages on the students’ social media groups. The Navi Mumbai police twitter handle has also posted several awareness messages. The messages include identifying the drug and behaviour of people who are consuming it and also how to approach police if anyone found such activities in the area.