No abatement in cases under NDPS, Excise Acts

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 21

Cases of black marketing of liquor and drug trafficking continued as drug and liquor mafia remained active in Himachal during the imposition of curfew in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak. There was a spurt in cases under Excise Act and 303 cases were registered in April 2020 as compared to 242 in April 2019. The liquor was sold at three times the maximum retail price as liquor vends remained closed.

Drug peddlers discovered new routes through water bodies, mountain passes, railway tracks, forests and porous borders to smuggle drugs. Despite strict restrictions and police vigil in force due to curfew 94 cases were registered under the NDPS Act in April this year as compared to 111 cases during the same period last year.

Cracking down on drug mafia is a continuous process. Drugs are being recovered and there is discernible increase in number of accused arrested under the NDPS Act, said DGP S R Mardi.

Mardi also appealed to the parents through his videos and asked them to watch for withdrawal symptoms in youngsters as it would be difficult for addicts to get drugs during curfew and in case symptoms are there they should start treatment at home itself.

However, in spite of severe restriction on movement of people and vehicles during curfew, criminal offences did not abate and six cases of murder, 13 cases each of rape and abduction and 16 cases of outraging modesty were registered during the month of April 2020. The number of murder, rape and kidnapping and outraging modesty was five, 25, 46 and 44, respectively, during April 2019, when there was free movement.

A significant decline was witnessed in cases of cruelty against women and road accidents and the number of cases during April 2020 was 12 and 48 compared to 23 and 254 during the same period last year.

However, there was no case of dowry death, dacoity and robbery and number of theft and burglary cases was 10 each in 2020 compared to 26 and 36 cases in 2019. As many as 1,079 cases of other offences were registered during April 2020 compared to 581 during the same month last year as hundreds of cases of curfew violation were registered in the state.