South Zone police freeze 1,238 bank accounts of drug offenders

MADURAI: The South Zone police in a crackdown to curb crimes concerning illegal sale of narcotics and psychotropic substances effectively, have blocked as many as 1,238 bank accounts.

As many as 754 cases have so far been booked against ganja sellers and peddlers this year. All these cases were booked by the police personnel across 10 southern districts from Madurai to the down south in Kanniyakumari.

The anti-drug drive have been intensified as per the directive of Director General of Police C Sylendra Babu. The proactive police action has ultimately triggered a freeze on 1,238 bank accounts. Theni district has recorded the highest number of cases in the southern region. As many as 142 ganja cases were booked in the district resulting in a freeze of 225 bank accounts of the accused.

Madurai district stood next numbering 130 such cases with a freeze of 226 bank accounts.

While Thoothukudi became the third district in terms of cases registered numbering 124 with 182 bank accounts frozen, Virudhunagar police registered 103 drug cases, but the action was double with the freezing of 200 accounts of the offenders.

Among the 10 districts, Theni, Madurai and Virudhunagar have crossed the hundred mark in the number of bank accounts frozen, said Inspector General of Police, Asra Garg.

According to Madurai Superintendent of Police R Shiva Prasad, 14 drug offenders have so far been detained under the Goondas Act this year.