The Anti Narcotics Cell of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch on Friday arrested four people from near a college in Ghatkopar and seized five kilograms of cannabis from them. This is part of their continuing special campaign to crack down on the sale of drugs around college campuses.
ANC officers said personnel from all its units have been patrolling areas around colleges in their respective jurisdictions to look out for drug peddlers.
“During one such patrolling on Friday, personnel from our Ghatkopar unit spotted four men near a college in Ghatkopar (west) who were behaving in a suspicious manner and picked them up. They were all carrying bags, which were searched. Cannabis in different quantities, collectively weighing five kilogram, was found in the bags,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Shivdeep Lande, Mumbai ANC, said.
Mr. Lande said that the accused, identified as Shahid Shaikh (27), Kayum Shaikh (57), Anis Shaikh (43) and Ali Jafar Shaikh (28) were arrested and charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
“The action was taken following several complaints by local residents saying drugs were being sold to college students on a regular basis. Cannabis is not known to have any harmful effects on the body, making it a drug of choice among teenagers. Also, many teenagers take up smoking after they join college, and as cannabis is also smoked, it becomes the next step during their partying,” Mr. Lande said.
ANC officials said in the last one year, they have acted on several complaints by parents of college student and residents of areas around colleges as part of a dedicated campaign to nab drug peddlers targetting college students.
“Typically, the drugs are brought in large quantities and suppliers drop them off on the outskirts of the city, where they are divided into smaller quantities. As any quantity below 20 kg of cannabis falls under the category of ‘possession of personal use’, which attracts a lower penalty than that for ‘possession of commercial use’ under the NDPS Act, drug peddlers have started carrying cannabis in small quantities,” Mr. Lande said.
The four arrested are now being interrogated to find out the source of the drugs. Police will also try to find information on others who might be supplying drugs to college students.