Hyderabad: After busting 17 drug racket
cases and arresting 41 persons, including 21 foreign
nationals, in the last two years, Hyderabad Police are working
towards setting up a permanent Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC).
A proposal is being submitted to establish a permanent
Anti-Narcotics Cell in Hyderabad City Police with a staff of
47 personnel to eradicate drug peddling completely, Police
Commissioner A K Khan said today.
Police have found that some youth from African
countries, who visit Hyderabad on student visa or as tourists,
were indulging in drug peddling. They sold cocaine to
celebrities and people from elite sections of the society at
various places, including pubs, restaurants and hukkah
centres, police have said.
With intensified efforts of police as many as 7 cases
in 2010 and 10 cases so far this year were registered for drug
peddling (cocaine abuse) in Hyderabad, Khan said.
In connection with these cases, a total of 51 persons
were identified as accused and so far 41 of them, including 21
foreigners, were arrested, Khan said.
The city police chief said they were trying to find
out possible link between online fraud cases (online lottery
and job frauds) and drug trafficking as many African nationals
had been found to be involved in online frauds.
From 2009 to 2011, about 28 cases of online fraud were
registered involving foreigners, mostly African nationals,
the Police Commissioner said.
Narcotics Control Bureau, Chennai has agreed to impart
regular training on emerging drug trafficking trends and
investigation techniques to the ANC staff and to supply drug
detecting kits, Khan said.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 21, 2011, 21:44