Udupi – Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar has announced a strict crackdown on drug use and trafficking in the Udupi district, calling it a priority mission for the department in 2024. In a recent video appeal, the SP urged citizens to assist the police by reporting any suspected drug-related activity, promising swift action on credible information.
Sharing enforcement statistics, SP Shankar noted a rising trend in arrests over the past three years. In 2022, police booked 262 cases, arresting 282 individuals. In 2023, the numbers climbed to 304 arrests across 272 cases.
The momentum has carried into 2024 as well. In the first six months alone, Udupi police registered 87 cases, resulting in 107 arrests. As of the latest update, 123 cases have been filed this year, and 153 suspects have been apprehended.
The SP also referenced a recent operation led by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) from New Delhi, in which a drug trafficker operating in Udupi was nabbed. He described it as a sign of growing inter-agency cooperation to stamp out the drug trade.
Hariram Shankar emphasized that public vigilance is key to uprooting the narcotics threat and reiterated the police department’s commitment to creating a drug-free Udupi.