Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police Ch. Dwaraka Tirumala Rao has said the Cabinet sub-committee is studying the proposal to set up an Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF)
“A toll-free number ‘1972’ will be made available to receive complaints on the drugs menace,” Mr. Rao told the media on August 28 (Wednesday) after a review meeting with the officials of the Visakha Range on the law & order situation, crime developments, disposal of cases, and on-going investigations.
“We have discussed several aspects, the important one being eradication of ganja. The State government is committed to curbing ganja trade. The 100-day action plan and constitution of the Cabinet sub-committee are steps in that direction,” he said.
“We have formed exclusive forces to deal with issues such as red sanders smuggling and Naxalism. Similarly, drugs, or narcotics is another menace that needs to be exclusively dealt with. Therefore, formation of ANTF is important,” the DGP said.
He further said the district police officers would be imparted special training to investigate “forward and backward links” in ganja cases.
Awareness campaigns were being organised since the commencement of ganja sowing season to ensure farmers shifted to alternative crops, he added.
Cybercrime
Referring to the rise in cybercrimes in Visakhapatnam, the DGP appealed to the victims to inform the police within the golden hour to enable them to freeze the bank accounts.
When Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was told during a review meeting that there were only three cybercrime police stations in the State, he had given his nod for setting up cybercrime police stations in every district, Mr. Rao said, adding, “For every sub-division, we will have an investigation team.”
Due to lack of funds, non-payment of annual maintenance contracts, and non- release of matching grants, several initiatives could not be taken up in the last few years, the DGP said.
“Finger Print Identification System (FINS) and CCTV cameras in police stations are some of them,” he said, adding that Mr. Naidu had sanctioned funds and released pending bills.
When asked about the “fire incident” at the Madanapalle Sub-Collector’s office, he said investigation had been intensified. “As part of the investigation, we have conducted rigorous searches at several houses. Several files, which are supposed to be in the office, have been recovered. We have identified a few persons involved in it. But no arrests have been made so far,” the DGP said.
Published - August 28, 2024 09:47 pm IST
