Ahead of lockdown, chaos and panic buying in Karnataka
Bengaluru: Hours before the stringent lockdown to contain COVID-19 in Karnataka came into effect on Tuesday, people flocked to railway stations, central bus terminus and waited in serpentine queues at toll plazas on national highways to board vehicles to reach their homes.
There was a mad scramble at vegetable markets and grocery shops in all major cities to stock up on essentials.
The government decided to impose a 14-day lockdown following the recommendation of the Technical Advisory Committee on COVID-19 to contain the spread of the virus, which has grown alarmingly.
Holding their luggage, families and students swarmed the KSRTC bus stand at Majestic in the heart of the city.
The scene was a stark reminder of previous year's panic among people during lockdown to get to their hometowns and villages.
The government said no public transport services such as metro train and buses will operate other than the city buses on contractual services to ferry employees of a few companies engaged in the manufacturing and food processing sector, a Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation officer told PTI.
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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.
