Bengaluru: In a policy shift, police have resumed the practice of booking drug users too, in addition to taking action on peddlers and their networks.Officials say the move under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act is intended to curb demand and extract critical leads to track peddlers.Monday, police arrested a Kerala-based man in Avalahalli, on the city’s outskirts, with 32 LSD pills in his possession. Alongside him, a suspected buyer—a young professional—was also taken into custody. Both are now facing charges under the NDPS Act and are being interrogated.For the past few years, Bengaluru police had largely refrained from booking drug consumers, citing concerns over alleged corruption in investigations. During the period, consumers were usually produced before magistrates, fined, and let off without criminal prosecution.However, this method had a side effect — investigations often stopped at the consumer level, making it hard to track the peddling networks operating in the city.City police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said the revised approach is part of a broader strategy to crack down on the drug trade more effectively. “Consumers are vital links in the drug network. By booking them, we can trace the source. A case is a case, and every participant should be brought to justice,” he told TOI.DG&IGP MA Saleem confirmed that the policy shift is being implemented statewide. Police superintendents and commissioners across districts have been asked to work closely with public prosecutors, both at the chargesheet stage and during trials, to secure more convictions in drug cases.Records show that from Jan 2021 to Feb this year, Karnataka registered 23,869 NDPS cases. Of these, 9,534 led to convictions, while around 300 suspects were acquitted. Bengaluru and its surrounding areas accounted for 13,115 of these cases, with 5,587 convictions, underscoring the city’s role as a prime target for drug networks.ADGP (law and order) R Hitendra said conviction rates in cities like Mangaluru, Belagavi, and Mysuru remain lower compared to Bengaluru. “We are focusing on minimising errors in booking cases and filing chargesheets. Often, suspects secure acquittal because of procedural lapses. That needs to change. We are training the staff,” he said.Advocate Srinivasa Rao also backed the move to prosecute consumers and said the NDPS Act provides for punishment for possession, even in small quantities meant for personal use. “However, in practice, consumers are often left out of criminal cases. By bringing everyone under the legal framework, investigations can become more thorough and may lead to unmasking the supply chain,” he added.Police officials acknowledged that with the addition of consumers to NDPS cases, the total number of reported cases is expected to rise. But they argue that this will provide a more accurate picture of the drug problem, allowing law enforcement agencies to mount stronger and more targeted crackdowns.
