A case of drug peddlers using minor girls to transport drug in the city has recently come to light.
According to Sakina (name changed), her daughter Rubina(name changed), 16, had gotten into a habit of taking drugs. After a while, when she couldn’t afford to buy the same, the peddlers started using her as a drug mule. The minor was also raped by them in a drugged state. The mother, after getting to know of the goings-on contacted Yadika Foundation, an NGO working towards rehabilitation of addicts in Byculla and also runs rehabilitations centre at Vasai. She has now also filed an FIR at the Dongri police station regarding the same.
According to Rubina, many minor girls are now being used to peddle drugs as the traffic police, consisting mainly of male officers, rarely search them. “The bikes are stopped by the cops at nakabandi but the constables rare touch the minor girls. So, it is easy for us to get the drugs through,” said the 16-year old Dongri resident.
An FIR lodged at the Dongri police station is against Nahendra Makwana alias Nanu, an alleged drug peddler for raping Rubina and using the minor to peddle drugs.
Sandip Bagadikar, senior police inspector of Dongri police station, said: “An FIR (number 135/20) is registered against Nanu, which is of raping a minor girl but till now no FIR has been registered regarding the drug peddling angle. We are still investigating the matter.”
When asked about the modus of operandi, Deputy Commissioner of Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC), Datta Nalawade, said: “A few days back, our Bandra unit had nabbed a motorcyclist carrying drugs and was pretending to be a delivery boy. But this was not the modus operandi.” He however added that if he gets further information about such cases, he will look into the matter.
