Mangaluru: As part of the drug-free Mangaluru initiative, Mangaluru City police conducted surprise operations aimed at curbing drug abuse among students on Friday. A police team conducted drug tests on students travelling in college buses across various parts of the city. The drive mainly covered students from Kerala studying in different colleges in the city.

City police commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy said that students were tested during the operation by stopping college and private buses and conducting on-the-spot drug screening. The drive was carried out under the supervision of ACP CEN and ACP South.

“The results are highly encouraging and show a clear improvement compared to previous observations, although there is still scope for further improvement,” the commissioner said.

In the Konaje police limits, two buses belonging to a private college were stopped and 87 students were tested. All the test results were negative, which police described as a positive development.

In Ullal police limits, students were randomly selected from private and college buses. Students from five colleges were tested. A total 103 tests were completed on this stretch, of which 101 were negative. With an additional 10 tests, 200 students underwent tests, he said. The commissioner said that a student attempted to evade the testing process, and necessary action is being initiated against the student as per procedure.

“Such surprise checks will be continued on a regular basis as a deterrent against drug abuse. Encouraging results indicate that the sustained efforts by police, district administration, educational institutions and civil society are yielding positive outcomes. We will continue these collective efforts to achieve a drug-free Mangaluru and drug-free educational campuses,” he added.

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