Source of psychotropic drugs traced to Meerut, Delhi, Talwara

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, August 25

The Kangra police have traced the source of psychotropic drugs into the state to Delhi, Meerut in Uttar Pradesh and Talwara area of Punjab. The sources have been traced with the arrest of three major suppliers of psychotropic drugs in the district.

SP Kangra Sanjeev Gandhi said the police had arrested three persons — Nitin, a resident of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, Sham Sunder, a resident of Talwara, and Firoz Alam of Delhi.

Bulk suppliers of psychotropic drugs in Kangra district, they had been in business of supplying psychotropic drugs in the state since long, he said.

Interrogation of accused revealed that the accused used to procure packets of psychotropic drugs like proxyvon capsules from chemists in Delhi, Meerut and Talwara at a cost of about Rs 600 per packet. In Himachal they use to sell these packets to the retailers of psychotropic drugs at prices ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,400 per packet.

The SP said they had procured arrest warrants of chemists from where the accused used to procure psychotropic drugs in bulk.

Initially, the team of Himachal police that had visited Meerut failed to get much cooperation from the UP police.

“This time I have talked to SP Meerut and requested him to provide assistance to our raiding teams”. The police also raided Talwara in Punjab to nab the chemist who used to supply drugs to Sham Sunder. “We are also planning to raid certain centres in Delhi and Jammu”, the SP said.

The campaign of Kangra police against drug peddlers has revealed that menace of psychotropic drugs was much more than the regular drugs like charas, heroine and poppy husk.

The easy availability of these psychotropic drugs and good distribution networks has attracted many youth in the state towards their addiction.

Though the Kangra police have arrested more than 160 people in the last few months on charges of drug peddling and seized large qualities, the actual source of how these psychotropic drugs come out in market in such large qualities still remains a mystery.

The psychotropic drugs are scheduled drugs that are produced under strict restrictions and can be sold only with a valid doctor prescription. The chemists selling them have to keep a record of the people to whom the psychotropic drugs are sold and the doctor who prescribed them.

The Kangra police have requested the state government to give them power take direct action against those selling psychotropic drugs illegally under Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

Till date the police have to go through the drug inspectors to take action in psychotropic drug cases.

The provision has been kept to save registered chemists against direct police action.