Mangaluru youth top targets of drug mafia
Mangaluru: People accused of buying and selling of illegal drugs were on Monday paraded at the District Police Ground by the office of the Commissioner of Police, the paraded however made it more evident than ever that youngsters are the primary targets of the drugs mafia. A majority of those who were paraded on Monday were either youngsters or middle-aged men.
Since 2016, the local police has issued show-cause notices to 180 individuals accused of dealing and trafficking drugs. The number of individuals present during Monday’s parade was 90, of which 6 were students.
The Police officers and staff spoke to each accused individual in a separate one-on-one session, where their details were collected, and were warned. Police CCB Inspector Shivaprakash R Naik and other officials addressed the accused youngsters separately and advised them to live a better life while staying away from drug-related activities. Police Commissioner Vikash Kumar conducted the inquiry and warned the accused that if they persisted in such activities again, they would be charged under the Goonda Act and prosecuted under law.
Rowdy-sheeters can be easily identified. After locating their whereabouts, they will be asked to come and made to stand in a parade. But, those who are accused in cases of dealing drugs tend to change the contact numbers that they registered at the police station. From their place of residence, they were located and asked to come. The police personnel said that in the last two days, information about the accused were collected, after which they were brought to the department.
Most criminal cases Related to drugs!
According to the police, most of the criminal cases involved drugs. It has been observed that under the influence of drugs and other narcotic substances, many criminal activities are carried out without any guilt or hesitation. While drugs are used for recreational purposes that lead to addiction, on one hand, they also lead the consumer to commit crimes.
LSD at parties, tablets for students!
In Mangaluru, most drug-related cases are associated with marijuana usage. In a most recent case, 132kg of marijuana was seized. In the city, students are dealt with drugs almost always in the form of tablets. Similarly, pubs and parties are supplied with LSDs. Cannabis is usually supplied to the youngsters working as daily wage workers and labourers, while College students are supplied with Cocaine, MDMA, and charas. Mangaluru City CCB Inspector Shivaprakash R Naik also said that along with the consumption of drugs like Ganja, Cocaine, Marijuana, Brown Sugar, and Heroine, some are also addicted to sniffing Whiteners for their heady smell.
There are allegations that postal stamp-shaped LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is being supplied from abroad. Drugs are being supplied to Mangaluru from other states. Police Commissioner Vikash Kumar also says that the allegation of drugs being supplied from overseas is undeniable. The LSD drug is synthetically made from acid and it is almost impossible for anyone to notice. This postal stamp-shaped drug is packed using many colorful and captivating cartoon images. The psychedelic effect of these drugs lasts about 12 hours. Experts say that addicts believe the illusion that these drugs offer a kind of happiness.
Break Made During Lockdown!
According to the Mangaluru City Police Commissioner, they made headway and received a break about narcotics trafficking in April and May, during the Corona lockdown in the city. In February of 2020, six cases were registered in Mangaluru City Police Commissionerate and nine were arrested. In these cases, a total of 21.89 grams of MDM and 1.064 kg of marijuana combined amounted to drugs worth Rs 1, 15,650. Other Valuable drugs were also seized during that operation. In March, with the arrest of four accused in three cases, (valued at Rs 42,000) 2.700 grams of marijuana were seized.
In June, when the lockdown was being relaxed Police seized 410 grams of marijuana and 14 grams of marijuana hashish oil. Two of the accused were arrested in both cases. In July, 9 people were arrested in 3 cases, while the police seized 2.696 kg of marijuana (valued at Rs 85,000).
Massive Quantity of Drugs Seized In August!
In August 2020, the Mangaluru city police commissioner's jurisdiction seized drugs valued at Rs. 37, 75,300. This includes 153 MDMA Pills, 8.25 grams of MDMA Pills, and 139.336 kg of marijuana were seized and nine individuals were arrested in four cases.
Among the 90 accused, 6 are students
Since January 2019, 20 cases of drug trafficking, supply and consumption have been reported. In the last two months, 10 cases have been registered. In a recent drug bust, 132kg of marijuana was seized. Today, out of 180 individuals convicted of drug trafficking and supply cases who were expected and only 90 showed up before the police. Among the ones that did show up, six are students.
-Vikas Kumar, Commissioner, Mangalore Police Commissioner
Bags of marijuana found among sacks of bananas
Recently, three bags containing marijuana were found in a vehicle carrying banana granules that were being supplied from Kerala. Inside the vehicle, the bags carrying marijuana were placed between the sacks containing the bananas. There were over 30kg of marijuana which costs around Rs 40 lakh. During the last two months of the lock-down, the supply of narcotics had all but stopped, but it began immediately after the end of lock-down. Reportedly, drugs are also trafficked via the rail route to the city.
-Shivaprakash R. Naik,Inspector, CCB, Mangaluru.
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Binny Bansal steps down from board of PhonePe
New Delhi, Nov 22: Flipkart's co-founder Binny Bansal has stepped down from the board of PhonePe, the fintech company said on Friday.
PhonePe also announced the appointment of Manish Sabharwal as an Independent Director and Chair of its Audit Committee.
In this role, Sabharwal will be instrumental in upholding the integrity and effectiveness of PhonePe's financial reporting, internal controls, and risk management practices, he company said in a release.
"PhonePe also announced that Flipkart's co-founder, Binny Bansal has stepped down from its Board of Directors. Binny acquired PhonePe in 2016 and has been on its Board since then," the release said.
Commenting on the board rejig, Sameer Nigam, CEO and Founder of PhonePe said, "I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Binny Bansal for being one of PhonePe's earliest and staunchest supporters. His active engagement, strategic guidance, and personal mentorship have profoundly enriched our discussions. Binny will be missed!"
Nigam further said that Sabharwal's depth of understanding of India's macro economy, coupled with his leadership in shaping India's policies for education, employment, and employability will be invaluable as PhonePe continues to work ahead towards shared vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Sabharwal is Vice-Chairman of Teamlease Services, India's largest staffing and human capital firm.
Bansal played an instrumental role in Flipkart's acquisition of PhonePe way back in 2016 and had been on its board since then (the payments firm separated from Flipkart in 2022).
