TSNAB forges ahead through enforcement, enhanced coordination, awareness drives

 Telangana State Anti-Narcotics Bureau forges ahead  in advancing the state Government’s vision towards a  drug-free society,    by intensifying enforcement, enhancing coordination, awareness drives and strategizing operational tactics.  This new bureau, launched on May 31st 2023, serves as the state nodal agency for NDPS cases and liaises  with central agencies and state departments. 

Fuelled by globalization, the rapid advancement of technology and innovation in the retail distribution, the drug trafficking environment is extremely dynamic and traffickers have been using all available tools. Nevertheless, the Anti-Narcotics operations by TSNAB  & state police have yielded noteworthy seizures. The operational statistics(June & July) adequately reflects the enforcement efforts. The potential street value of the seized drugs stands at Rs  26,01,34,650 . Of the 196 cases registered, 175 pertain to Ganja, resulting in the apprehension of 353 individuals, and 46 persons were arrested in 21 other narcotics cases.  

On the awareness front, the 3- day state awareness campaign in June  under the theme of “Mission Parivartana” left an indelible impact on  the youth, fostering engagement and dialogue. A plethora of engaging activities including panel discussions, impactful graffiti murals, competitions, and awareness programs were conducted across the state, and the awareness wing of the bureau continues its drive to reach out the vulnerable through all platforms.  At the state-level NCORD meeting on July 5th, the Chief Secretary and the  Director TSNAB(member convener state NCORD) stressed the need for cross-departmental synergy to devise a comprehensive strategy. 

In the  maiden full-scale review meeting chaired by Director Mr.CV Anand on 14th August, he explained the mission, vision and motto of the bureau to the new officers and the achievements on the narcotics front in the last 2 years and the seriousness of the Govt in eradicating this menace . 

The extensive  review  delved into several issues spanning from procurement of cutting-edge technologies and tools, to the vigilant oversight of operations,  tracking mechanisms. Furthermore, the meeting addressed rectifying procedural shortcomings, monitoring precursor intermediary chemicals, ensuring robust case resolutions that culminate in convictions, conducting rigorous financial investigations, and the confiscation of ill-gotten properties using NDPS and SAFEMA acts,  and  re-routing of narcotics-related Dial-100 calls to TSNAB ,  strengthening  Anti-Drug Committees (ADCs)etc., 

 “Let this be our personal mission as our own children may get afflicted in future due to bad company and bring untold misery to the family “ said Mr.CV Anand who kindled a collective sense of personal commitment  at the  conclusion.

Raja Bahadur Venkata Ram Reddy - remembered

 City Police Commissioner Mr.CV Anand garlanded the statue of Raja Bahadur Venkata Ram Reddy on the occasion of his 154th  birth anniversary celebrations organised by Raja Bahadur Venkat Ramreddy Educational society here at YMCA ‘X’road, Narayanaguda.  CP Anand attended as the chief guest  and hailed the pioneering contributions made by Raja Bahadur Venkata Ram Reddy who served as the 14th Kotwal during the Nizam  era.

“He took charge as Kotwal in 1920,and in his 14 years service, handling both civic & policing works ,he relentlessly worked on abolishing many social evils prevalent in those times and established educational institutions for the welfare of the Girl child.” said the city police chief. “His legacy reverberates through decades as the architect behind the City Police Act 1938, showcasing his foresight.” He added. 

The educational  institutions established by him to uplift the society  still pays rich dividends,  said Mr.Anand while citing how his own  family also got benefitted by studying in those institutions and urged the students to draw inspiration from Raja Bahadur Venkata Ram Reddy’s life and work hard to succeed.

He appreciated the executive body of the institution and presented Gold medals & Rs 5000 cash each  to Mr.Raghavendra,  Inspector – IT cell,  Hyderabad City and Mr.K.Ravinder; Inspector – Social media Cell, Cyberabad for  their outstanding performance in recent times. 

Sri  Kodanda Laxmikanth Reddy, president;Mr.Venkat Rangareddy(newly elected) Sri Matta reddy, Damodar reddy,vice-president; Mohan reddy, treasurer; Praveen reddy, joint secretary  city police officers and others were present. 

TSNAB nabs 6 Ganja peddlers

A gang of six people, including a police constable working with the Greyhounds unit in Warangal, were caught while in possession of 44 kilograms of marijuana by the Telangana State Anti-Narcotics Bureau and Langer Houz police.

Officials also seized four modified high-end SUVs with compartments to conceal contraband and ₹12 lakh of drug money from the gang.

Those caught peddling drugs will have their properties seized, said the police.

Hyderabad police commissioner C.V. Anand said that the accused were identified as Vankudoth Veeranna, 33, Ajmeera Veeranna, 21, Surneni Manoj, 20, Merugu Madhu, 39, police constable Prashanth Naik Tejavath, 27, and Mohd Jahangir, 40. 

The prime accused, Vankudoth Veeranna, set up an organised drug network since 2018 and has even posed as a policeman/government official to get past the toll gates and checkposts during the COVID-19 lockdown period, said the Commissioner.

“He ran the network with about 25 men by investing in high-end cars and having them modified to have compartments to conceal the drugs. The vehicles would have police sirens and labels of ‘Police’ and ‘On Government Duty’ on them. The accused also had fake police and government ID cards on his name,” explained the official.

Vankudoth Veeranna is a relative of constable Prashanth Naik, who taught him the tricks used by the police in catching drug smugglers. “This knowledge was used to hoodwink the policemen at junctions. Moreover, he would always meet the peddlers at a place in Beed, Maharashtra, by taking a flight out of Hyderabad,” added the commissioner. 

It was also revealed that he purchased multiple cars, properties in Gudur and Uppal, and had also invested in shares of companies with the drug money. Efforts are on to seize all of his properties, said the police.

Mr. Anand explained that a provision in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances  (NDPS) Act allows a Station House Officer (SHO) to seize the properties of drug peddlers.

“We will be implementing the provision and start seizing properties of those caught peddling/smuggling drugs into Telangana,” said the official.

In another case, an International drug peddler, a Nigerian, operating from Bangalore was arrested. Using fake sim cards & dubious identities, he has been supplying ecstasy pills.

He also started an association, and has been arranging bails and aid for fellow criminals in Bangalore and surroundings and the activities were eerily similar to early mafia setups. 264 pills worth Rs 10.56 lakhs seized.

VC held to guide new officers about the challenges in Metropolitan policing

 In the wake of a recent major reshuffle that saw a significant realignment of officer ranks within the City Police, City Police Commissioner Mr.CV Anand  convened a comprehensive video conference with about 1000 officers of Sub-Inspector (SI) and above rank officers representing ALL  wings of HCP . The central objective of this conference was to inform the  newly appointed officers about the challenges in metropolitan policing, the Hyderabad City  Police culture while providing a comprehensive overview of the recent reorganization and guide them to do effective policing. 

The growing population of Hyderabad, a rise in vehicle numbers, and the need for Mega City Policing Plan to, was the criteria to reorganise the Hyderabad City Police commissionerate, said CP Anand. He expounded on the criteria and considerations that guided the recent reorganization, including delineation of boundaries etc., 

The conference marked a turning point as directives were unequivocally issued to all supervisory officers and the IT cell, mandating the expeditious mapping of boundaries across internal IT platforms & applications. The goal is to fortify inter-departmental synergy and overcome operational hurdles. Emphasizing the utmost adherence to ethical standards, Police Commissioner emphasized, "No form of malpractice will be tolerated."

Delving into the intricate details of each zone, divisions, and police stations, he also  conducted an exhaustive review of staff allocations, and interacted with the new officers. After revisiting the prevailing roles & responsibilities, fixed duties were recharted and allocation of manpower to different category police stations was also discussed . 

VC further pivoted towards optimizing law enforcement capabilities, wherein the City Police Chief exhorted all officers to administer their duties impartially and maintain effective control over law and order, crime prevention, and related domains. The DCPs  were specifically directed to conceptualize innovative strategies and methodologies to bolster policing efforts.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as the effective utilization of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) installations, the Fitcop program, and the adherence to discipline and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were comprehensively discussed. 

Notably, the VC elucidated a resolute commitment to cybersecurity, with a concerted effort to impart advanced investigative skills across all police stations, thereby enabling a more effective approach towards tackling cybercrimes. Furthermore, discussions encompassed the installation of CCTVs as a strategic KPI, alongside deliberations on welfare issues pertinent to the police force, Communication systems and organised crime control, rolling out more police services online etc., 

Crime review was also  done on all the crimes pending for want of arrests, investigation, FSL reports , charge sheets etc.,The CP told the officers that he'll be conducting wing wise meetings starting with Hyderabad Traffic police in the days to come.

TSPICCC is gearing up to expand its impact across the state

 The TSPICCC, established just a year ago, is gearing up to expand its impact across the state. The  G.O.Ms. 29. gave the much needed filip to strengthen and enhance the operational efficiency of the state-of the-art center, and a Director(ADG rank officer)   with 400 sanctioned strength including 1DIG,  2 SPs, 4 ASPs, 6 DSPs, Inspectors, SIs will manage all aspects of operations & management.In the recent transfers , a total of 81  personnel have reported to the iCCC including 2 SP s Pushpa and Surender Reddy , 1 ASP, 7 dsp s , Inspectors ,SIs , etc.,

Hitherto the Hyderabad City Police along with other stake holders toiled tirelessly in managing, stabilising the operations and liaising with other departments.   Today Mr.CV Anand,  Hyderabad City Police Commissioner, in the capacity of TSPICCC director conducted the first meeting of ICCC after it’s creation and after posting of officers and staff there.

Mr. Anand, after a thorough inspection of ongoing projects, convened a seminal meeting with TSPICCC's staff officers.

Addressing the staff officers, he shared the vision & objectives of the most advanced facility and exhorted them to work to synergise and leverage Technology, data analysis,apps and other elements to render good service to the public. It was decided to pursue with all other departments like GHMC and irrigation etc to locate their teams in the command control centre so as to start the process of Multi Agency Operations in a synchronised form . 

Integral to the meeting were the formulation of targets, work allotment to the officers,  meticulous budget projections, and the articulation of a comprehensive action plan. Directives were issued to initiate tenders for establishing vital amenities within the building, including a canteen and gymnasium.

The strategic decision to relocate Dial 100, COEs and reinforce existing wings while introducing new ones further underlines the State Government consistent commitment to fortify law enforcement capabilities,  and all these state level  will interplay to effectively mitigate  the emerging challenges to fortify security and render swift response to all calamities through the Multi-agency operations center, Disaster and Crisis Management center in this building.

Ms.Parimala Hananuthan IPS, Jt.CP(Admin) – HCP & D.IG. TSPICCC ;  SP(Technical) Ms. Pushpa; SP Admin and other officers attended the meeting.