Women drug peddlers call shots in Kangra

Strap: 32 arrests made in district so far; majority from Indora, Nurpur border areas

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There is need for more evidence-based research on the involvement of women in drug trade. Generally, they are forced into it by their male family members. If a scientific study is conducted to ascertain reasons behind the involvement of women in drug peddling in Himachal, a more effective strategy can be worked out to education them against these practices. Soumya Sambasivan, IPS officer

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Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, November 17

The involvement of women drug peddlers has significantly increased in Kangra district, with 32 being arrested in the district so far.

Of these, 24 have been arrested for peddling synthetic drugs such as heroin, six for poppy husk, one for selling psychotropic drugs and one for charas. While 27 arrested women are from Himachal, the others are from adjoining states.

Police records show that the number of women peddlers arrested this year is 50 per cent more than the last year. A majority of the arrests have been made from Indora and Nurpur tehsils and the remaining from Dharamsala, Gaggal and Nagrota.

SP, Kangra, Santosh Patial said women could easily pass through checkpoints utilising their innocent appearance. They were increasingly being used as couriers for synthetic and other drugs.

He said. "We are deploying and training more female constables in anti-narcotic checking. In one case, we have decided to move court to confiscate the property of a female drug peddler from Indora."

Some police officials involved in anti-narcotic operations said in some cases they faced great difficulty in seizures as women were concealing heroin packets in their private parts.

Sources in the police said out of these 32 accused, 22 belonged to the Sansi community that had become infamous for being involved in such cases in the border areas of the district, including Nurpur and Indora subdivisions.

Principal of Police Training College, Daroh, Kangra, Soumya Sambasivan, who is an IPS officer, said there was need for more evidence -based research on the involvement of women in drug trade. Generally, they were forced into the trade by their male family members. If a scientific study was conducted to ascertain reasons behind the involvement of women in drug peddling in Himachal, a more effective strategy could be worked out to education them against these practices, she said.

The Kangra police has arrested 262 drug peddlers, including 239 from Himachal, this year so far. It recovered 17.87 kg of charas, 251 gram of opium, 54.61 kg of poppy husk, 522 gm of heroin, 27,494 capsules and 8,818 tablets of psychotropic drugs.

Police officials claim that drug peddlers functioning in Himachal have links with those in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.