The police have enhanced deployment of plainclothesmen near educational institutions in the city to nab drug peddlers.
The drive follows reports of former convicts, after serving jail terms, resuming their trade near schools and colleges.
Six such persons have already been arrested with contraband they had procured from other States for sale among students. The seized items included ganja, tranquilliser drugs, brown sugar, and banned pan masala.
According to the police, some students have been found to have links with peddlers. School authorities and parent-teacher associations have been asked to monitor students’ movements and report on suspected persons hanging around schools.
A few regular meeting points of urban students in secluded areas have also been identified by the police. Local vigilance committees will be formed in such areas, where the police have already noticed attempts to encourage substance abuse. Some residents’ associations have been asked to monitor suspicious movements of students in isolated areas.
Students, if held responsible for selling or using psychotropic substances, will be taken to the district-level de-addiction centre run by the Excise Department for treatment and counselling. Besides, legal action will be initiated against them. Student Police Cadets, National Service Scheme volunteers, and National Cadet Corps are also part of the local-level intelligence gathering mechanism.
A Circle Inspector heading the shadow patrol teams said the first of such local vigilance committees would be formed to cover the Kuttichira area.
