Shillong, June 26: Meghalaya is slowly emerging as the "heroin distribution centre" of India, a police official said on Tuesday.

"With Shillong as the transit point, many players, some with militant background or affiliations are involved in the drug trafficking business to fund their anti-social activities," said East Khasi Hills district police chief Davis Marak.

Addressing a programme on the occasion of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2018, he said: "The rise in petty crimes in some areas has also been attributed to the growing numbers of drug users, particularly among the youth, who commit such crimes to satiate their cravings." 

Noting that most traffickers come from low income families or those with a history of broken homes, Marak stressed on the need to pay more attention to the youth and urged all stakeholders to work hand in hand with police to curb the menace of drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

He also told the gathering that in its continued efforts to curb the dangers of drug abuse and illicit trafficking, the Police Department, beginning this week, is also organising a week long awareness programme in different localities, schools and colleges.

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Udaipur (Rajasthan), Sep 21: The search for a leopard that has allegedly killed three people in Gogunda in Rajasthan's Udaipur district recently has intensified with an Army team being roped in for the purpose.

However, the animal is yet to be traced.

A 16-year-old girl was killed by the leopard on Wednesday, a man aged 50 years was mauled to death by the big cat on Thursday and a 40-year-old woman was killed supposedly by the same animal on Friday.

The incidents occurred at different locations in Gogunda, prompting the forest authorities to place five cages in order to capture the leopard that is believed to have taken shelter in the hilly area nearby.

The presence of the leopard has caused fear among villagers.

A rescue team from the forest department, along with villagers, has reached the hills to trace the animal.

Station House Officer (SHO) of the Gogunda police station Shaitan Singh said a team from the Indian Army has also been called to assist in the search operation, using drone cameras to monitor the entire area.

Teams from Rajsamand, Udaipur and Jodhpur are actively engaged in the search operation.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ajay Chittora, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Naresh Soni and others were also present during the search operation.