Chennai: Close on the heels of 159 students being detained by the police for allegedly using banned drugs during a rave party in Pollachi, the Mahabalipuram police picked up 160 persons, including seven women, having a similar party at a resort on ECR in the wee hours of today.
The police said the guests were having liquor at a resort which did not have licence to serve it and the alcohol bottles were ‘smuggled’ from Andhra Pradesh. Initially, the police went to the resort thinking some rowdies were having a party.
A police official said, “We heard from sources that a rave party was going on at an unlicensed resort and we rushed to the place. The resorts and hotels here inform us before having liquor parties. We found the attendees were all under the influence of alcohol and we detained them at a marriage hall on ECR. The police summoned their parents or family members to take them.”
Cocaine used?
Unconfirmed reports also claimed that drugs, cocaine and ecstasy tablets were seized from the guests; however, police denied the claim. The party was held at an entry fee of Rs 1,000. The guests were in the age group of 19 to 30, most of them being IT professionals and had arrived in luxury cars. The police officer said their concern was how they would return home.
“We got in writing from the them and their parents. We spoke about the dangers of drunken driving. The parents should know what their wards were doing here which is why we called them,” a police source said.
Goes viral on social media
From morning, several messages were doing the rounds on social media regarding the incident, one of which was that 153 men were caught with seven women; however, the police official confirmed that the women were wives of some of the men who accompanied them. The official said action would be taken against the resort for serving illegal liquor.
Wake-up call for Chennai cops
In a separate incident, a middle-aged woman was arrested at Villivakkam for selling ganja. She confessed to the police that she had been in the trade for almost five years and college students were her customers.
Speaking to News Today, Dr Jamuna Gabriel, a social activist, says, “It is sad to see youngsters fall victim to drugs. When it was available freely in a town like Pollachi, imagine its penetration in a place like Chennai.”
Asked what steps are needed to overcome the problem, Dhanasekar, who runs a de-addiction centre near Chennai, says, “Cops must be vigilant. They should raid various resorts in and around the city regularly to see if drug abuse was taking place. They should keep an eye on parties during weekends. Unofficial get-togethers at farmhouses and resorts by youngsters should be monitored.”
‘Create awareness among students’
Dhanasekar said the officials of the Narcotics Intelligence Bureau (NIB) should co-ordinate with the School and Higher Education departments and kick-off a State-wide campaign to increase awareness about the ill-effects of drug abuse among school and college students. Recently, a senior police official had gone on record stating that nearly 10 per cent of the drugs that flows into the State, especially ganja, is supplied to college students.