Visakhapatnam: Nearly five years after seizure of 5 kg of brown sugar in Vizag region, the police are still trying to secure concrete clues to nab the kingpins in the trade. The investigation into the case has ended without establishing any links between the drug peddler and supplier and the destination of the drugs. In November, 2012, brown sugar was seized from a passenger in a Howrah-bound train by the Government Railway Police and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) near Vizianagaram under Vizag GRP limits.
The cops arrested one Abul Ashan, 41, of Chennai, who came to Vizag by road route and boarded a train to Howrah. On a tip-off, the GRP and RPF personnel checked his bags and found he was carrying brown sugar. A senior police officer, who had investigated the case when he was with the GRP, said they visited Chennai, Howrah and a few other places to find the key persons in the specific case.
“Though we have got some clues based on the call data of Ashan, we were unable to trace the big sharks in the case since Ashan is just a peddler,” he added. While only 2-3 cases have been registered by the police against drug trafficking in Vizag region, there were reports that people in Vizag city are used to taking brown sugar, opium and cocaine, said ACP (Task Force) I. Chittibabu.
“We are also collecting some information from various sources to burst the drugs gangs,” he added. The GRP personnel said they do not have manpower or technology to check the trade in trains transportation of drugs in trains. We have requested the government for sanction of canine squad to smell out the drugs but the proposal is yet to materialized, they added.
