KCR Wants "Drug Mafia" To Be Crushed With Iron Hand

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is understood to have taken a serious view of Hyderabad suddenly becoming a haven for drug peddlers who are targeting school and college students, and wants the excise and police departments to crush the "mafia" with an iron hand.

Ever since the Excise Enforcement Directorate unearthed the operation of a drug mafia in the twin cities recently, KCR has apparently been keenly watching the developments and apprising himself of the progress in the investigations. He was stated to be very upset over the fact that many school and college students were being lured to try drugs.

The Chief Minister is understood to have discussed the issue with Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari, who is holding the education portfolio, and to have directed him to deal with the situation to ensure that innocent school kids do not fall prey to the nefarious activities of the drug mafia. Accordingly, the Deputy Chief Minister convened a high-level meeting of the concerned officials of his ministry along with the top officials of the excise and police departments to review the situation and initiate appropriate measures to deal with the menace firmly.

Expressing grave concern over school and college students being targeted, Srihari wanted the authorities of the affected educational institutions to take fool-proof measures to prevent drug peddlers from operating in the vicinity of their institutions. He also wanted the parents to keep a vigil on their children.

In the meantime, the SIT constituted by the excise and enforcement directorate stepped up its investigation and launched vigorous searches and raids at the places that the drug mafia was suspected to be operating at. As a result of these searches, the SIT arrested two more drug peddlers from the Old City - Deepak and Abdul Rasheed - and seized from them large quantities of narcotic substances, including LSD. With this, the total number of those arrested in connection with the drug racket has gone up to 10.

Both Deepak and Abdul are stated to be well-known to Calvin, the kingpin of the drug mafia, and his close associate Brendan Ben, who was arrested on Wednesday. The SIT has established Calvin's links with the drug mafia operating in Goa from where he used to get his supplies to sell to his clientele, who included school and college students, IT professionals in MNCs and those connected to the film field. It was found by the investigating officials that Calvin had created separate dealers for supplying the drugs to students, IT professionals, film producers etc.

Now having established the links of Calvin and his associates with the Goa mafia, the SIT is intending to seek their police custody to further grill them to unearth the source of supply of the drugs. Calvin and others are currently in judicial custody and lodged in the Chanchalguda central jail.

Director of Excise Enforcement Akun Sabharwal disclosed that 26 schools and 27 colleges had been sent advisory notices with regard to the drug menace. A meeting of school and college authorities along with the parents' associations was also going to be held on July 14 to review and discuss the problem and the measures to be taken to prevent the students from falling into the trap of the drug mafia, he said.