TSRTC to keep tab on drugs smugglers using buses

The drug peddler travels as an ordinary passenger and dumps the drugs-filled bags along with the baggage and luggage of other passengers, thereby not making anyone suspicious

Hyderabad: With drug racketeers mostly opting for either private vehicles or buses to transport the contraband substance, the Telangana State Road Transport (TSRTC) authorities have drawn focus to it. It is observed that smugglers are using private buses than government buses. Officials said usually the staff of private buses is not aware as they do not check the luggage of passengers.

The drug peddler travels as an ordinary passenger and dumps the drugs-filled bags along with the baggage and luggage of other passengers, thereby not making anyone suspicious.

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Several buses ply between Hyderabad and various locations across neighbouring States every day. The luggage and baggage of passengers kept in the bus’ trunk are not checked. Hundreds of kilos of narcotic substances can be easily smuggled into the city without anyone getting a hint of it. However, the police and other enforcement agencies have been quite successful in curbing it. “Sometimes more than a hundred kilos of psychotropic substances are smuggled into the city through these buses from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Chennai and Maharashtra. However, the instances of smuggling in RTC buses have become a rare thing these days,” a source from TSRTC said.

In most cases, the private bus operators are not aware of the smuggling since they do not check the luggage of the passengers. However, few operators are hand in glove with the racketeers and do it willingly to earn extra bucks. It is learnt that surprise special drives are being planned at the TSRTC with the help of police at bus stands and transit points.

The staff is also educated on sharing information on suspicious persons and luggage with local police and Narcotics Control Bureau or the Excise Department.

“Drug peddlers have been travelling by buses in recent times because investigating agencies rarely inspect bus passengers unless there is a tipoff. It could be an easy escape for carriers unlike the air route,” said an official. Several bus boarding and disembarking points are under the scanner of antinarcotics agencies as well.