Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A week after Bhopal crime branch arrested three youths selling methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), a recreational drug, another worrisome fact has come to light.
According to senior police officials, MDA is smuggled due to rise in its demand by youths and students in the city.
On questioning all the three accused, who were nabbed in two separate incidents, police learnt that the drugs were smuggled from Uttarakhand. The MDA, noted for its stimulant and psychedelic properties, is rare and hard to find. Its increased smuggling has raised alarm bells for them.
Sources in the Bhopal crime branch said that gangs involved in smuggling of MDA drugs used internet and social media to cater to customers’ demands.
All the three accused apprehended in two cases are well-educated who tried making extra bucks due to meagre salary. However, they landed in police net. Questioning them, the crime branch sleuths also learnt that 12 gangs are operating from Uttarakhand.
Chamoli and Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand are MDA smuggling hubs, officials wishing anonymity said. The accused would contact their sources in Chamoli and Pithoragarh who would send them the required quantity through courier services.
According to experts, MDA acts as a serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine releasing agent, whose effects are visible soon after consumption. Students and youths prefer consuming MDA to get relief from stress.
Gathering info
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) Shailendra Singh Chouhan said more information was being gathered from arrested accused to reach out to gangs and push them behind the bars.
