Nagpur: The drug consumption seems to have gone rampant in 2023 in the Second Capital of the State, as Nagpur Police reported a 51.61% jump in offenses under the NDPS Act compared to last year. Until November 2023, Nagpur Police registered 423 cases under the NDPS Act and arrested 558 persons in connection with them. Property worth Rs 4.74 Crore was also confiscated during the same period.
In 2022, 399 accused were arrested under the NDPS Act in 279 cases, and property worth Rs 4.13 Crore was seized in connection with these cases.
Despite Covid restrictions in place, the years 2020 and 2021 also registered a rampant drug demand in the city. In 2020, while 128 accused were arrested in 70 cases, and material worth Rs 1.64 Crore was seized, the numbers rose to 338 (cases), 441 (arrested), and 2.63 Crore (property seized) in 2021.
However, in 2023, while the cases broke all the previous records, Nagpur Police also achieved a remarkable feat of becoming the first unit in Maharashtra to detain an accused under the PITNDPS Act. 1200 Kgs of Ganja were disposed of on the occasion of the International Day against Drug Abuse.
Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar credited vigilant policing for the rising number of cases.
“Nagpur Police have also set up the Narco Intelligence Unit at the Crime Branch and Anti-Narco Cells at each Police Station. Strict surveillance on 1,150 drug peddlers and consumers on police record was conducted. 57 hot spots for drug consumption were identified for strict vigilance. This played a pivotal role in cracking down on drug peddlers,” he said.
– Shubham Nagdeve