Mangaluru Police Commissioner Sudhir Kumar Reddy said the city police have tightened their drive against drug abuse, with regular checks being carried out in colleges. Addressing a press conference at the Police Commissioner’s office, he said that in the last one-and-a-half months, 10 students were found to have consumed drugs during surprise inspections.
He explained that 113 colleges have come forward to cooperate with the police in this effort. Based on complaints and suspicions, checks were conducted in 40 colleges, and drug use was detected among 10 students. Action has been taken against them. Apart from college checks, the police also conducted tests on over 1,200 people in public spaces during this period, out of which 478 were found to be drug users.
On the supply side, Mangaluru police have arrested 73 drug peddlers in the last three months, with 37 of them still in jail. Last year, 160 peddlers were arrested, while this year so far, 132 have been taken into custody.
The Commissioner shared further statistics: in 2023, 948 people were arrested in 713 NDPS cases and drugs worth Rs 1.71 crore were seized. In 2024, 1,404 people were arrested in 1,114 cases, with seizures worth Rs 82.52 crore. This year so far, police have registered 477 cases, arrested 610 people, and seized contraband worth Rs 2.04 crore. In just the last three days, four peddlers were arrested and 2.5 kg of ganja was seized.
To encourage tip-offs, QR codes have been installed in all colleges. The initiative has brought in several complaints, which have helped police trace the accused. Commissioner Reddy said the drive will continue and sought public cooperation. DCPs Mithun and Ravishankar were also present.
Traffic violations and fine collection
The Commissioner added that under the 50 percent rebate scheme on pending fines for Motor Vehicle Act violations, 42,600 people in Mangaluru Police Commissionerate limits paid their dues between August 23 and September 12 evening. This has helped collect Rs 1.07 crore in fines.
Action against lucky schemes
Commissioner Reddy also said police are keeping a close watch on fraudulent "lucky schemes" that cheat people in the name of prize schemes. Checks are being conducted on such operations, and action will be taken whenever complaints of cheating are received. Some organisations have been found to be running unregistered for several years.
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Lahore (PTI): Pakistan's Punjab Police on Friday registered a case against unidentified gunmen for opening fire on Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) co-founder Amir Hamza, who suffered bullet injuries in the attack in Lahore.
On Thursday, two unidentified gunmen riding on a bike opened fire on the vehicle of the private TV channel 24NewsHD TV, owned by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, on Peco Road in Lahore near the TV channel's office.
In the attack, Hamza suffered bullet injuries.
"The FIR has been registered against unidentified gunmen, but it is sealed forthwith," a senior police officer told PTI.
He said the intelligence agencies have taken over this case from the police, and they are currently investigating the matter.
The channel's religious programme host Justice (retd.) Nazir Ahmed Ghazi and Hamza were in the vehicle when it was attacked. Hamza was shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Punjab police on Friday said that "upon receiving information about the incident, the SSP Operations immediately reached the scene and a high alert was imposed in the area. SSP Operations Tauqeer Naeem also met the affected individuals. Thankfully, all present in the vehicle remained safe during the firing."
It further said senior police officers of the Township and Chung, along with a heavy police contingent, were present at the scene.
"Police collected evidence from the site and initiated an investigation. Efforts to arrest the suspects are underway using CCTV footage and geo-fencing techniques. Search and sweep operations are being conducted at various locations, with scrutiny of suspicious individuals ongoing," police said.
It added that those involved in the incident will be traced and arrested soon.
The police sources said that Hamza has been shifted to his residence in Jauhar Town, Lahore, where police and agency personnel met him.
The leadership of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political front of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's banned Jamat-ud-Dawah (JuD), including Hafiz Saeed's son Hafiz Talha Saeed, also called on him.
TV host retired Justice Ghazi, who remained unhurt in the attack, remained a legal counsel for Hafiz Saeed, they said.
The PMML has strongly condemned the attack on Hamza and demanded that those involved in the incident be arrested immediately.
Hamza is regarded as LeT's second most important leader after its chief Hafiz Saeed, who has been in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 after getting convicted for several years in terror financing cases.
Hamza has been designated as a terrorist by the US. In the past, he served as the head of LeT's "special campaigns" department.
In 2018, Hamza formed a fundraising group for the LeT following a ban on the JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation by the Pakistani government.
