Karnataka, Kerala, TN officials' meet on Maoist activities

HD Kote, Mar 11: The Anti-Naxal Force (ANF), police and forest officials from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu held a meeting at Beechanahalli in the taluk on Sunday, in the wake of the reported increase in Maoist activities in Kodagu, HD Kote and other bordering regions of the three states.

The meeting was attended by the top brass of the departments from all the three states. They include District Superintendent of Police R Dileep, ANF?Commandant Vasudevamurthy and Assistant Commandant Shankar, the forest officials of the Nagarhole and Bandipur wildlife zones, the zonal forest officers, the officials of the taluk administration, apart from police officers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, sources said.

They discussed strategies to tackle increasing activities of Maoists in the region, said Karikalan, assistant forest conservator, Yadiyala wildlife zone.

However, he said that the meeting was held once every three years and there was no need to attach any significance to it.

Speaking to mediapersons, Karikalan said the investigation has found no evidence for the suspected involvement of Maoists in the recent theft of a double barrel gun at a workshop on prevention of wildlife theft in Gundre zone. The officers from the bordering areas of all the three states assembled to take precautionary measures to check Maoists activities, he said.

Dileep, in a bid to avoid the curious media crew, rushed inside the police station in a huff and changed the earlier plan to hold discussion at the pandal put up specifically for the purpose.

The mediapersons were disappointed yet again when the DSP dodged their queries and rushed to his car soon after the meeting.

There are rumours that more than 120 personnel of the ANF have camped at Bhimanakolli Sri Mahadeshwara temple on the periphery of N Begur wildlife zone, on being alerted about the Maoists' movements in Gundre or Bandipur wildlife zones.

Divided into teams of five members each, they will soon begin combing operation, with the help of the police and the forest officials, the sources said.

They may comb the forest areas in Doddahalla camp, Banur, Nayisattahalla, Gundre, Kadavinakatte, Kalkere, Rampura, Mavinahalla, Boodana- katte, Soolekatte and other areas and talk to the residents of these areas for gathering information on the suspected Maoist activities in the regions, the sources said.

The DSP is said to have instructed the taluk administration to distribute pamphlets to the residents in villages of these areas, allaying their fear of the Maoists.

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QR-code tips power Mangaluru's major drug bust: 25 arrested in 2 weeks

News Network

December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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