More sniffer dogs for HP police squad to fight drug menace
SHIMLA : In the wake of a spurt in synthetic drug smuggling in the state, the police have decided to add one dozen more dogs to its squad.
Infamous for cannabis and opium trade over the last decade, the state, over the last few years, has seen a a spike in smuggling of a synthetic drug, in particular ‘chitta’, a white powdery substance containing high quantity of heroin. Poppy is still largely cultivated across Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Kinnaur, Sirmour, Chamba and Kangra district. The isolated dense forests of Kullu valley still are a huge attraction for narco smugglers.
“We are running a state wide campaign to apprehend drug smugglers. Now, we have proposed to increase the number of dog in our squad,” said inspector general of police ( intelligence and security) Diljit Singh Thakur. “The proposal is to purchase 12 sniffer dogs, each of which will cost about Rs25,000,” he said.
The hilly state has one of the oldest dog squads in the country, with the first dog squad raised in 1957. A German shepherd named Hero was the first dog inducted in the squad, and was imported at a cost of 250 pounds from Germany. Raja Bajrang Bahadur Singh Bhadri, who was governor of HP from 1955 to 1963 took keen interest in raising a dog squad. The current squad, which is stationed in Junga , comprises 24 dogs including German shepherds, labradors, retrievers, dobermans and cocker spaniels. Two dogs are also deployed in security of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama who fled Lhasa in 1959.
With a spurt in synthetic drug smuggling in the state last year, cases under Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 increased by 7.2% in 2019 as compared to 2018. A total of 1,439 cases under Act were registered across the state, against 19,25 persons detained of which 12 were foreigners. In 2018, 1342 cases were registered against 1722 persons.
As much as 327.2 kg charas, 17.05 kg poppy, 1306.7 kg poppy straw, 21.3 kg hashish , 857 gms heroin and 150 gms charas was seized.