3,000 covid infected go 'missing' in Bengaluru, to be traced by police: R Ashok
Bengaluru, Apr 28: Posing another challenge to the already overburdened system tackling the covid crisis, about 3,000 infected people have gone missing in the city and many have switched off their phones, prompting the government to task the police to trace them.
Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka claimed that the missing people are spreading the disease, in a state that has seen the positive cases skyrocket in the past few days.
On Wednesday, the southern state recorded its highest single-day spike of 39,047 cases and 229 deaths, with Bengaluru Urban logging 22,596 of those infections.
Ashoka said police have been asked to trace the missing people. However, the police remained tight-lipped on their strategy to track the 'missing' individuals.
Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said the issue of the infected going missing has been going on for the past one year.
"We are giving free medicines to the people, which can control 90 per cent of cases, but they (covid-infected people) have switched off their mobile phones."
"They reach hospitals in a critical stage, desperately looking for ICU beds. This is what is happening now," Ashoka told reporters.
He said most of the infected people have switched off their phones and are not letting people know about their whereabouts, which is making things difficult.
"I feel that at least 2,000 to 3,000 people in Bengaluru have switched off their phones and left their houses. We don't know where they have gone," he added.
Appealing to the infected people to keep their phones switched on, Ashoka said police have been asked to track them.
"I pray to them with folded hands that covid cases will only increase due to this (behaviour). It is wrong when you reach for ICU beds at the last moment," the minister said.
Agreeing with his cabinet colleague, Sudhakar said this problem has been going on for the past one year.
"At least 20 per cent of the patients do not respond to our phone calls...police will track them in their own way," Sudhakar said.
"Some switch off their phones, some migrate to other states and some do not answer the calls," the Minister added.
To stem the spread of the contagion, happening at an alarming pace, the state government has imposed a 14-day lockdown starting Tuesday, restricting unnecessary movement of people.
There were 3,28,884 active cases in the state on Wednesday, with 2,192 of them receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Units (ICU) of various hospitals.
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Drug crackdown in Mangaluru: 25 arrested in 14 days, QR code tips aid police
Mangaluru: Intensifying action against drug peddling, Mangaluru City police arrested 25 people and registered 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. During the operation, police seized 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of Ganja, The Times of India reported.
City police commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy reportedly said, the QR code based anonymous reporting system, introduced to enable citizens and students to discreetly share information on drug-related activities, has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers.
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According to the report, so far this year, up to December 14, police have registered 107 drug peddling cases and arrested 219 accused. In addition, 562 cases were booked for drug consumption, leading to the arrest of 671 people.
During raids conducted this year, police allegedly seized large quantities of narcotics, including ganja worth Rs 88.7 lakh, MDMA valued at Rs 1.2 crore, and MDMA pills worth Rs 87,000. Other raids include charas worth Rs 1.7 lakh, hydro-weed ganja worth Rs 94.7 lakh, methamphetamine worth Rs 50,000, bhang chocolates worth Rs 6,800, cocaine worth Rs 1.9 lakh, and opium worth Rs 9,000.
In 2024, police arrested 160 peddlers in 88 cases, in addition to booking 1,026 cases for consumption and arresting 1,244 persons. In 2023, the police arrested 199 peddlers in 94 cases and booked 619 cases for consumption and arrested 749 persons.
"We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence," TOI quoted commissioner Reddy as saying.
To curb drug use among students, police also introduced random drug testing in colleges. Around 100 educational institutions were covered in the first phase, where nearly 6,000 students were screened. As per the report, about 20 students tested positive and were counselled. They will undergo follow-up tests in the next phase.
Reiterating a zero-tolerance policy, the commissioner reportedly said random testing would continue and colleges have also been directed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse at an early stage.
