Two private security guards at Amity University here were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly selling cannabis to students and others, the police said on Wednesday.
The police said the accused have been identified as Naveen Mishra and Santosh Singh, both local residents and in their 30s.
The university, however, distanced itself from the issue. A university spokesperson said, “Amity has outsourced its security work to a private agency. We have no idea about the incident as the police did not approach us in connection with the matter.”
The accused guards, booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, were sent to judicial custody after being produced in court, the police said. Knowledge Park police station incharge Arvind Pathak said Mishra and Singh had 1.25 kg and 1.2 kg cannabis respectively on their person at the time of their arrest.
Mr. Pathak said the police had been receiving complaints against illegal sale of drugs in the area under Knowledge Park police station limits.
The police recently arrested six drug traffickers from this area, the officer said. With the incident coming to light, the officer said they will ask the private security agency to have “more stringent guidelines” for its employees and guards.
Mr. Pathak said investigation is under way to find out from where they were procuring the cannabis. The duo has no previous criminal record.
Police crackdown
The arrest comes amid a crackdown by the Gautam Buddh Nagar police on drug trafficking in the district.
Sources said the arrested guards were employees of a private security agency hired by the university who has zero-tolerance policy for drugs and smoking on the campus.
In a three-day anti-drug operation that began on October 22, the police had arrested 29 alleged drug traffickers and seized over 30 kg cannabis worth lakhs of rupees from their possession, officers say.
