ANTF, anti-drugs task force of Maharashtra police, to start operating soon

Mumbai, May 25 (PTI) The newly-created Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Maharashtra police will carry out a range of tasks from cracking down on drug trade and prosecution to coordinating with central agencies, senior officials said. The ANTF will deal especially with cases involving pan-Maharashtra or inter-state drug smuggling networks.

Senior IPS officer Sharda Raut was recently appointed as the first head of the task force. Deputy Inspector General Pravin Patil has been named as her deputy.

In February, the government sanctioned 346 posts for the ANTF, and once officials and other personnel are appointed -- drawn from the state police -- it will start operating in the coming days, a senior official said on Saturday.

The task force's objective is to eradicate the drug menace. It will investigate and prosecute cases, prepare dossiers on narco-criminals, coordinate with central and agencies in other states as the Narco-Coordination Centre of Maharashtra, besides spreading awareness against drugs.

The ANTF will have two divisions, headquartered in Pune and Nagpur, to be headed by Superintendent of Police-rank officers.

The Pune division will monitor cases from Konkan, Western Maharashtra and North Maharashtra districts, while the Nagpur division will deal with Marathwada and Vidarbha districts.

Mumbai has been excluded from the ANTF's jurisdiction, as the state capital already has anti-drug agencies such as Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the state and the central government's Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Customs, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.

While local police will continue to handle drug cases, the cases that have state-wide or inter-state implications will be handed over to the ANTF on the directions of the Director General of Police.

The ANTF will also create district-wise lists of drug traffickers and local peddlers.

It will also work to improve conviction rates in the cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

"The formation of the ANTF will definitely help in taking effective action against drug traffickers and busting manufacturing, supply and distribution chains," said a senior police official.

Recently, several mephedrone manufacturing units were busted in rural parts of Maharashtra including Nashik, Latur, Sangli and Kolhapur. Drugs were being sourced from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Telangana among other states, and the ANTF will help bust these distribution chains, the official said.

Earlier this month, Alprazolam worth Rs 13.75 crore was seized by Ahilyanagar district police following a tip-off from Telangana ANTF. PTI DC KRK

Source: PTI