Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 4 Five months after the launch of the anti-narcotics drive, ‘Operation Toofan’, in Keralam, more than 15,000 people have been arrested in over 14,000 drug-related cases, IG Putta Vimaladitya said here on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference on the progress of Operation Toofan, Vimaladitya, the state nodal officer for the drive, said 15,515 people had been arrested in 14,369 cases since June 2, when the initiative was launched by Chief Minister V D Satheesan.
Of those arrested, 1,173 had been remanded, he said.
More than 2,000 kg of narcotic substances (cannabis, MDMA, hashish, brown sugar, methamphetamine, cocaine, LSD stamps and heroin) had also been seized in connection with the cases, the officer said.
Additionally, 186 vehicles and 801 mobile phones had been seized from the accused, while 148 bank accounts had been frozen, he said.
Steps were also being taken to identify and freeze illegal assets acquired through drug trafficking, he added.
Red Corner Notices had been issued against four persons involved in drug-related cases who had fled abroad, while a Blue Corner Notice had been issued against one person and Look Out Circulars against 10 others, Vimaladitya said.
He said the police had received considerable information from the public about drug sales and use.
Action had been taken on information received through 8,125 phone calls and 5,668 WhatsApp messages, he added.
As part of the Toofan Local Government 2.0 initiative, anti-drug vigilance was being strengthened, with efforts under way to reduce the demand for narcotics. People considered vulnerable to drug use, as well as those already using drugs, were being identified and provided counselling, treatment and rehabilitation, Vimaladitya said.
The Toofan ICE (Information, Compliance and Enforcement) project, under which cameras would be installed in government schools and connected to the respective police stations for surveillance, would also be implemented soon, he said.
Other initiatives included Toofan Care, aimed at identifying drug users and providing them assistance; Toofan Local 2.0, which seeks to increase the participation of local self-government institutions; and Toofan Mentors, which would coordinate anti-drug activities and provide guidance, the officer said.
Alongside legal action, equal importance was being given to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and the social reintegration of drug users, he added.
The police were also intensifying efforts to detect inter-state drug trafficking networks, upgrading facilities at forensic laboratories, training officers to deal with drug users and coordinating with private hotels on rehabilitation-related efforts, Vimaladitya said.
(PTI News)
