Mangaluru city police arrested 25 drug peddlers in a week, says Police Commissioner

While asking people not to sit silent but report to the police about drug addiction and peddling, Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy said that the information given by people helped the city police arrest 25 drug peddlers in the past week. He was speaking at the launch of the ‘Drug Free Mangaluru’ campaign, organised by Make the Change Foundation in association with the Mangaluru City Police at the TMA Pai International Convention Centre in Mangaluru on December 27. Mr. Reddy said students, parents, educational institutions and religious leaders should not sit idle but report to the police - by scanning the available QR code - about those addicted to drugs or involved in drug peddling. Referring to the sorry state of affairs of those lodged in Mangaluru prison for drug peddling, Mr. Reddy said an Indian Institute of Technology graduate was arrested along with a Nigerian for drug peddling. “He wants to come out of prison and lead a good life. He is booked for an offence for which the minimum sentence will be 20 years of imprisonment. It is also difficult to get bail for a period of six months in such cases,” he said. As many as 120 persons arrested for alleged drug peddling are in Mangaluru prison. Another 50 will be arrested shortly and sent to prison. More than 80% of prison inmates are affected by narcotic drugs, which make people lose his/her thinking power once consumed. There are inmates who have committed crimes under the influence of narcotic drugs, he said. So far, 10,000 students from 100 educational institutions have been tested in the city and of them, 50 tested positive for drug consumption. Mr. Reddy asked institutions to carry out tests at the time of admission and also once in every three months. Expressing the need for care of addicts, Mr. Reddy called upon parents to keep a close watch on their wards’ behaviour. Suhail Kandak from the Make the Change Foundation said the foundation has planned 102 programmes to create awareness among youth about drug abuse. Mangaluru Bishop Peter Paul Saldanha said a void is created in the heart when one gets addicted to drugs, communalism and power. “This void can be filled with happiness and goodness. One must create space for God and lead a meaningful life,” he said. Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation general secretary Anees Kausar Ali expressed the need for a drug de-addiction centre in Mangaluru. Swami Yogishananda from Ramakrishna Mutt also spoke. Published - December 27, 2025 10:43 pm IST

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