Visakhapatnam: About 50 per cent of the remand prisoners in the Central Jail here facing drug-related cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) Act, prison sources say.
The central jail has about 1,400 remand prisoners, of which 700 are facing charges of drug abuse. Drug abuse by youths is rampant. Ganja peddlers are many. Enforcement agencies like the police and special wings like the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) are working against smuggling of drugs and ganja through Vizag.
Recently, the railways detected instances of transportation of ganja at the local railway station. “Getting bail in most of the NDPS cases is a tough task. There is a delay of 90 to 180 days. Remand prisoners will have to remain in jail until they get bail,” said a source.
The capacity of the central jail is 1,050, but there currently are around 1800 inmates. It has eight barracks. Four barracks were dedicated to remand prisoners, three for convicts and one for Maoists.
A senior police officer told DC that police commissioner Srikanth recently launched an anti-narcotics cell here. Its focus was on drug trade. It comprises three divisions – Intelligence, Technical and Research. ANC collects inputs/tip-off, keeps 24-hour special surveillance on drug mafia, liaises with police stations and monitors cases registered under the NDPS Act. ANC conducts secret raids.
A police officer investigating drug cases said, “Our focus is more on NDPS cases. Obviously, the remand prisoners’ number has also increased. Our wing is essential for cities like Vizag where the youth, especially students, software engineers and children of some elite families are more prone to drug addiction.”
Students from different cities and states visit the city for studies, jobs and tours. Some of them are found to be involved in drug trade by selling it to the local youths and those from the upper strata of the society.
