In just over a fortnight since its launch, Yodhav, a mobile app launched by the Kochi city police to rein in the drug menace by enabling the public to share information anonymously, has accounted for 180 arrests in 170 cases, seizure of 24.14 kilograms ganja, 18.27 grams of MDMA and 700 packets of prohibited tobacco products.
The operations were conducted by members of the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) and Special Operation Group (SOG) based on the alerts received over Yodhav.
Over 500 alerts were received in a short period of time over Yodhav and those related to the distribution, sale and consumption of drugs in other districts were forwarded to the district police chiefs concerned.
The alerts pertaining to city limits received over the mobile app are initially vetted by officials at the cyber cell and narcotics cell and the relevant ones are then forwarded to G. Poonguzhali, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order and Traffic), and Biji George, Assistant Commissioner, Narcotics Cell. They in turn directs members of DANSAF and SOP.
The mobile app was launched by the Chief Minister on February 15 as part of the ‘Drug Free Kochi’ campaign of the city police. The campaign is focussed on cracking down the spread of drugs among school and college students and young techies.
The app offers a common platform for people to share information by remaining completely anonymous. In fact, the app is so designed that even the police who receive information cannot trace the identity of informants.
The beauty of the app is that there is no need to download it from google play or AppStore. The back end of the app is integrated with WhatsApp and will run in the background. Users have to use WhatsApp in the normal manner for using the app. Information can be shared in the form of audio, video, image, or text just like sending any other WhatsApp message to a designated number.
Information can be passed on to the number 99959-66666.