20 March,2019 06:40 PM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan
Representational image
The registration of drug-related cases was the first step for the city police's drive against drugs. Now demolition of shops selling tobacco and cigarettes (paan beedi shops) around educational institutes is the new agenda. Following the diktat of the former Police Commissioner Subodh Jaiswal, DGP of Maharashtra, Mumbai police demolished around 259 paan beedi shops near schools and colleges in the city with the civic body in the last two months. In January around 200 shops and in February 59 shops were demolished by the police.
Intensifying their drive against the drugs mafias across the city, Mumbai Police arrested 210 drug peddlers where 123 were arrested in February. Police also seized drugs worth Rs 70 crore during the special drive across the city. A senior officer told midday, "The paan beedi shops play a major role in drugs addiction because students begin with tobacco and cigarettes and then gradually move to drugs. Hence the order, to demolish these shops around schools and colleges in the next one month."
The city police received strict orders from then the commissioner of Police Subodh Jaiswal after a 25 per cent drop was witnessed in drug-related cases from 2017 to 2018, despite a rise in drug-related complaints. On 11 January 2019, the meeting was held with the senior officials of Mumbai police where the commissioner instructed to carry out a special drive till February against the drug mafia across the city.
Manjunath Singe, the spokesperson of Mumbai Police said, "We have been taking strict actions against the drug peddlers on a daily basis and will continue doing the same."
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In 2017, 94 police stations in Mumbai had registered 12,687 cases and arrested 13,063 people in drug-related cases. But in 2018, the cases dropped to 9,323 and 9,516 people were arrested, informed the police.
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