Students from colleges in and around Hyderabad booked by Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau

Telangana's Anti Narcotic Bureau targets drug consumers in educational institutions, pubs, and e-cigarette sales for comprehensive intervention.

Drug consumers from Symbiosis College, Osmania General Hospital, Guru Nanak Engineering College, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology (CBIT) among other places were identified and booked by the Telangana’s Anti Narcotic Bureau. 

Director of the agency Sandeep Shandilya said that their multi-faceted approach, combining human intelligence (humint) and technical intelligence (techint) has yielded significant results over the past few months. “Through relentless monitoring and intelligence development, TGANB has targeted hotspots of drug activity. Recently, three drug abusers were apprehended at Artistry Pub, Novotel HICC, thanks to actionable intelligence. In the raid at Cave pub, out of the attendees, 52 were checked and 33 tested positive for combinations of ganja, cocaine, and MDMA,” said the official. 

He added that coordinated efforts with unit officers and Narcotic Detection Dogs (NDD) have led to thorough checks of schools and their premises “We also established Anti-Drug Committees (ADCs) in all institutions, which are expected to be vigilant, providing timely information about any drug-related activities within their institutions and surroundings, thereby acting as the first line of defence against drug abuse,” added the official. 

He concluded that while the primary focus remains on major suppliers, they are also addressing smaller consumers to curb the demand effectively. “Ensuring a comprehensive approach to tackling drug abuse is essential for long-term success,” he concluded. 

- Symbiosis College: Information led to the apprehension of 25 students consuming OG Weed. Counseling sessions for these students and their parents are currently being conducted to address the issue and prevent future occurrences.

- Osmania General Hospital (OGH): Six junior doctors were caught consuming ganja. A formal letter has been written to the Medical Council of India (MCI) to take appropriate action against them.

- Guru Nanak Engineering College: Fifteen students were caught consuming ganja. Measures are being taken to counsel and rehabilitate them.