Stany Bela
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jan 6: Despite undertaking regular awareness drives and strict action being initiated against consumption of drugs, drug peddlers and drugs mafia by the government, police and NGO’s, cases of drugs abuse and drugs peddling continues to occupy top slot in the crime world of the city. In view of strict action being taken by the city police against the drugs trade, the drug mafia has been trying to find new ways to expand its business and attract more youngsters towards drugs addiction. According to sources, the latest trend started by the drug mafia is using the services of girl students for increasing their business.
By using girl students, the drugs mafia aims to easily carry drug products throughout the city and especially the campuses of educational institutions. The mafia believes that girls can become easy carriers for their products because most of times they are exempted from regular checking and legal proceedings. Secondly they also aim at the sexual exploitation of the girls once they become carriers and regular users of their products.
Representational images
Pradhanya (name changed) studies in a reputed college in the city. A few weeks back, she suddenly started to vomit continuously and her parents took her to the hospital. After conducting examination of her health, the doctor told her parents that she was pregnant. Through detailed enquiries, the parents learnt that a few months back the girl had attended the birthday party of one of her friends. It was a late night party and she was compelled to stay there with other friends both boys and girls. When the party was on, some of her friends had forced her to have a mocktail drink and after drinking she began to feel drowsy. When she was unconscious, some of her boyfriends, sexually exploited her. She was not in a position to judge that the drug mafia had entered that birthday party through her friends. This is a new trick of the drug mafia. They indirectly use the birthday parties, success parties, bachelor parties etc for spreading their trade. No parents or students are aware of this development.
“The incidents of trapping girl students in the pretext of love or friendship has been increasing day by day. It is usually too late when they realize their folly of getting trapped in the hands of drug mafia. Later these girls get new offers from the mafia and they become the carriers of drugs. They then begin to trap friends in the same way they were trapped. For attracting the new students, they are given ideas like sexual exploitation of innocent girls in the parties and private events,” says Dhanajay Nayak, who is a faculty in a reputed educational institution in city.
Sources also revealed that the drug mafia also takes the girl students to Goa and Bengaluru in the name of ‘happiness tours’. When returning from tours they carry their stuff without creating any doubt in the minds of police and narcotic cell officials. Many a time, the girls are not frisked in the name of shortage of lady police officers. It is also learnt that during these happiness tours, the girls are sexually exploited but no one is accepting this fact openly with the fear of parents and knowing fully well of its devastating consequences on their future. The drug mafia targets girl students from outside the district who stay in hostels in the city. Most of happiness tours are conducted by friends of girls who are out of their colleges.
“Nowadays the incidents of suicidal tendency has increased among the students. Especially the investigation on the suicides by girl students point towards failed love affair or study pressure. No one shows interest to investigate beyond this point. No one takes interest to keep an eye on suspicious moves of friends, or lovers of the girls who lost her lives. In the case of boys also similar thing is happening. Majority of parents believe that their children will never get connected with the drug mafia or they will not be exploited without the knowledge of parents at night parties. Drug cartel has been deriving benefit out of this tendency of the parents and using these parties effectively for their business,” says a social worker who want to remain anonymous.
The volunteers of Link De-Addiction and Counselling center, Mangaluru, which is one of the leading de addiction centers, says “In our general survey we came to know that in Mangaluru out of 100 students 16 to 20 are using some kind of drugs or related items . It is right that nowadays drug mafia mainly concentrates on night parties arranged by students and their close friends. One or two of them maintain links with drug mafia very secretly and they always take lead for arranging such parties. At the same time, it is gathered that there is one drug available in the form of tablet which can be used in any colour drinks especially in juice and mocktails. Once a person drinks it he or she will become unconscious for two hours. Even he or she fail to come to know if someone is engaging them in sexual activity. The second thing is once the person becomes normal the next day he or she do not remember that what they did during the said two hours, where they were, and what happened during those particular hours. This drug completely erases the memory power of the concerned for a period of two hours after consumption. “
“We are conducting regular counselling for our students. Whenever we come to know about any of the students using drugs we inform their parents and guardians. But majority of parents are not ready to accept the fact that their children consume drugs. In the case of girl students we are taking extra care and taking separate classes for them about drug mafia and their sexual exploitation. But after college we can’t track them where they go and what they do. Parents should be aware of it and monitor their children. It is true that girl students are sexually exploited at night parties which conclude in the wee hours,” says a professor who wanted to remain unidentified.
Police personnel have been continuously chasing the drug mafia and drug peddlers. To escape from police and attract more youths towards drugs use, drug mafia has been inventing new ways with innovative ideas. It is time for the parents and the educational institutions to remain focussed and alert. Same time the students themselves should be aware of how drug mafia could be trapping them.