A file photo of a drug haul last year, which saw 2,766 cases booked under the NDPS Act
BENGALURU: With police declaring a war on the drug mafia, the number of cases booked under Nacrcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 went up by more than 250% in 2020 compared to the previous year. The number of arrests under the Act increased by nearly 200%.
While 2,766 cases were booked under the NDPS Act last year, 3,600 suspects were arrested, including Sandalwood actresses Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani and well-known event manager Viren Khanna and his associates, who were nabbed in early September.
In 2018, police had booked 285 cases under NDPS Act and arrested 496 suspects. The corresponding numbers were 768 and 1,260 in 2019. Those arrested in 2020 include 72 foreign nationals, up from 44 in 2018 and 38 in 2019.