Two held in Mangaluru for selling MDMA to students; Drugs worth over Rs 2.4 lakh seized
Mangaluru: The City Crime Branch (CCB) police in Mangaluru have arrested two men for allegedly selling banned narcotic substances, including MDMA, to college students and the general public. The police seized a total of 24.57 grams of MDMA from the accused in two separate operations.
Acting on a tip-off, CCB sleuths raided the port and dock area on November 4 and arrested Abdul Salam (39), a resident of Adyar Kannur, who was allegedly selling MDMA while operating an autorickshaw. The police recovered MDMA worth Rs 1.20 lakh from him, along with an autorickshaw, a mobile phone, and a weighing machine. The total value of the seized property is estimated at Rs 2.30 lakh. A case in this regard has been registered at Pandeshwar Police Station.
In a similar operation on November 6, the CCB team received credible information about drug peddling in the Boliyaru area. The police raided the spot and arrested Mohammed Naseer alias Shakir Chaki (28), a resident of Jaradagudde, Boliyaru. The officers seized MDMA worth Rs 1.20 lakh, a motorbike, and a mobile phone from the accused together valued at around Rs 2.05 lakh. A case has been registered at Konaje Police Station.
Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy said that several others are suspected to be involved in the MDMA supply network, and efforts are on to trace and arrest them.
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Health Department launches leprosy awareness campaign in Dakshina Kannada, district reports 47 cases
Mangaluru: The Health Department launched on Friday the Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaign, to promote early detection and treatment to the disease and also to educate people in the district about leprosy.
The campaign, which is a nationwide initiative, will continue till February 13.
According to a report by Deccan Herald, District Health Officer Dr. HR Thimmaiah has said that 47 cases of leprosy were reported in Dakshina Kannada till December in 2025-26.
He has stressed on the need for early detection and treatment of the disease as it would prevent complications prior to detection. He also stressed on creating awareness, increasing community participation in cases of early detection. “People should not neglect white or brown patches without sensation on their skin,” the DHO advised.
Dr. Thimmaiah added that people diagnosed positive would be treated with free Leprosy Multidrug Therapy (MDT). “The government also provides Disability Prevention and Medical Rehabilitation (DPMR), splints, self-care kits, multicellular rubber footwear, and reconstructive surgery to patients. People can log on to sanjeevani.opd or esanjeevani.in for free teleconsultation if they come across any symptoms of the disease,” he added.
Referring to social stigma attached to leprosy, the DHO called it a challenge and said that the Department had planned awareness programmes in rural areas in collaboration with gram panchayats to ensure that there is no discrimination of patients. “ASHA workers and staff from other departments will be trained to create awareness among the people to overcome social stigma. A door-to-door campaign will be conducted. In addition, officials will visit educational institutions to create awareness among students,” he said.
Speaking about the leprosy cases in Dakshina Kannada, Dr. Thimmaiah said that the 47 cases were reported between April and December, with 42 being diagnosed as multibacillary (MB) leprosy and five as paucibacillary leprosy. One child too has been detected with leprosy during the year, he added.
He said that the district reported 29 cases in 2020-21, 39 in 2021-22, 75 in 2022-23, 62 in 2023-24, and 43 in 2024-25. The number of cases was higher in 2022-23 as patients were not able to visit hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic in the previous years, the DHO informed.
