Telangana Narcotics Helpline 1908 helps curb drug trafficking

Telangana’s Narcotics Helpline 1908 empowers citizens to report drug abuse and trafficking. Tip-offs from families, friends, and educational institutions have helped police apprehend users and suppliers. Awareness campaigns and rehabilitation efforts complement enforcement, creating a robust anti-drug network.

Hyderabad: A crucial network of tip-offs from family members, friends, and colleagues of individuals with substance use disorders through Telangana Narcotics Helpline – 1908, is playing a vital role in dismantling international drug rackets across Telangana.

The helpline has become an important, confidential channel, empowering citizens to combat drug trafficking and consumption.

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The success follows extensive State-wide drug awareness campaigns that have gone a long way in encouraging the public to share information with law enforcement, yielding concrete results.

“We receive at least three calls daily at the Telangana Narcotics Helpline – 1908 about consumption and sale of drugs. It’s regarding drug consumption, drug money transactions and in a few instances about the source or seller,” said a senior official of EAGLE team.

The tip-off, received on the helpline number, is followed up by dedicated teams across the State.

“Based on the information, we plan our strategy that includes mounting surveillance on the drug consumers and finally identifying the source of sale and apprehending the sellers and traffickers,” said the official.

In a few cases, the Anti-Drug Committees at educational institutions and the Universities were helpful in identifying the drug consumers.

“The security personnel of the institutions are good informants. They collect and pass on valuable information to the anti-narcotic teams through the drug committees in the institution or directly,” the official explained.

Based on the leads, the police had arrested a few students at two universities in the city and managed to apprehend the drug suppliers as well.

“In a handful of cases, the family members had informed us that their children are using drugs. We collected more details from different sources and caught them red-handed. On humanitarian grounds and taking into account their career, we asked them to attend rehabilitation therapy courses,” said the official, explaining that the family and friends play a major role in saving any person from the destructive cycle of addiction.

The EAGLE team continues to leverage social media, radio services, and public meetings to continuously amplify awareness about substance use disorder and addiction across Telangana.