K'taka to set up coordination committees with neighbouring states in border districts to curb drug menace: Minister

Bengaluru: Karnataka will set up coordination committees with the neighboring states in the border districts to check the drug menace, State Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Monday, August 31.

Bommai also said that action will be taken against foreign nationals involved in drug peddling and those overstaying here illegally will be arrested.

The External Affairs Ministry will be informed about those overstaying and urged to send them to their respective countries, he told reporters here.

Against the backdrop of the Narcotics Control Bureau of India’s recent raid and arrest of three people with a huge cache of hard drugs, Bommai chaired a meeting with senior police officials to review the measures taken by them.

“There are border regions around Bengaluru. There is a Tamil Nadu border at Anekal and Andhra Pradesh border near Hoskote. There we will form coordination committees for the purpose of information gathering, sharing, and initiating action,” Bommai said.

Underlining the necessity to curb the cannabis menace in Karnataka, Bommai said that ganja coming from other states such as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa has to be stopped completely for which directions will be given to the superintendents of police of border districts.

Speaking about the measures taken in Bengaluru, the Home Minister said since January 1,438 cases have been booked and 1,798 people have been arrested, including 25 foreign nationals.

According to him, it was decided in the meeting that action will be taken against the foreign nationals involved in drug peddling.

He said that some foreign nationals are involved in the ”darknet” web of drugs and are also into peddling drugs. Some of them are overstaying here illegally despite the expiry of the Visa period.

To check their activities, it was decided in the meeting that those foreign nationals whose visa has expired should be arrested immediately.

“All those who are overstaying should be arrested and sent back. We have decided to start a drive where we will share all the information with the Ministry of External Affairs about the overstaying foreigners to send them to their respective countries,” he added.

Bommai said a decision was taken to launch an anti-drug awareness campaign in the colleges when they reopen after the lockdown.

The police will coordinate with the college management to check it. Bommai has said that four postal officials have been accused of involvement in a drug racket and a few foreign nationals arrested in this connection

“The arrested include a Canadian and some Nigerians,” he had said on Sunday. Speaking about the darknet, an international racket of those involved in illegal businesses, Bommai said the police have managed to bust one or two such darknets, which operate through the internet.