With special focus on party hangouts in western suburbs, anti-narcotics cell is grooming its sleuths to gel with party crowd this New Year Eve

All those planning to celebrate this New Year’s Eve with a snort of cocaine or a puff of hashish, beware. For this New Year’s bash, the man with stylish clothes and long tresses dancing next to you could be a narcotics sleuth on the look out for drug peddlers.

According to Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) sources, their officials this time will be focusing especially on places between Malad and Bandra — known as western suburbs— to target drug peddlers. And for the purpose, the ANC is grooming some of its officers to gel with the party crowd during their operation.

Senior Police Inspector Girish Koyende from the ANC said, “Our investigations and research have shown that drug activity could be at its peak this New Year’s eve in the areas between Malad and Bandra. That’s because the western suburbs are the venue for many open air beach parties, where drug peddlers find it much easier to operate. So, the party venues in the suburbs will receive our special attention, besides a watch on the other parts of Mumbai. As we anticipate manpower crunch, we are planning to target specific areas where our information points out to maximum drug activity.”

Talking about their plan of grooming policemen for keeping a watch on the party venues, Koyende said, “We have a separate team of 15-20 officials who do not look like the typical police personnel. These officers are specifically instructed to grow their hair and dress up like normal party goers during such raids. Once they enter such party venues and come across any drug peddling activity, they will discreetly inform our raiding team. Then the team will immediately take action without paying any attention to the undercover officers. This is done to protect their identities as undercover operatives.”

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