Special police division set up to check inflow of drugs into the Nilgiris
The Hindu
The new division, named Omega-3, will comprise 46 police personnel – 10 sub-inspectors and 36 constables.
A special unit of the Naxal Special Division (NSD) has been set up by the Nilgiris district police to check the inflow of drugs and banned tobacco products into the Nilgiris.
The new division, named Omega-3, will comprise 46 police personnel – 10 sub-inspectors and 36 constables. Mohan Nawas, Additional District Superintendent of Police, said that there were already two NSD teams that were operational in the Nilgiris, called the Omega-1 and Omega-2 divisions. He explained that the teams were deployed to perambulate the borders of the district and prevent the entry of left-wing radicals into the Nilgiris.
However, the new division would be primarily deployed to check the entry of drugs and banned tobacco products into the district, he stated. The 46 personnel would be deployed in 16 checkposts bordering Coimbatore as well as border districts of Kerala and Karnataka. They would take the place of normal police personnel to check entry of vehicles and other surveillance at the district’s borders.
In addition, the Omega-3 team will also be deployed in search operations as and when required to supplement the existing NSD teams, officials stated. On Wednesday, the Omega-3 team was formally inaugurated at Charring Cross in Udhagamandalam. Police officials stated that they expect the new division to help control the influx of drugs and banned tobacco products into the district, as well as illegal firearms.
Between April 1 and September 12 of 2021, the district police have arrested 39 persons on charges of possessing and selling marijuana. They have seized two vehicles, 11 kilograms of marijuana and 20 kilograms of banned gutka. During the same period, the number of people arrested for selling marijuana in 2022 has increased to 125 persons, while five vehicles used to transport contraband, 15 kilograms of marijuana and 4,033 kilograms of gutka have been seized, officials stated.