Sniffer Dog Roma Puts Ganja Users, Carriers on Edge
Adilabad: Ganja addicts, users and peddlers in the Adilabad district are becoming increasingly wary of Roma, the trained narcotics search dog who is effective in detecting people carrying marijuana and other drugs.
Adilabad Police deploys Roma during checks in residential areas and public places based on specific information regarding cannabis consumption and trafficking. Similar efforts are being carried out by the police in Komaram Bheem Asifabad area.
Police said they are focusing on curbing cannabis cultivation and consumption through awareness programs in villages and educational institutions. A few farmers were found to be growing hemp as a crop along with redgram in the hinterlands, especially in Adilabad and Asifabad districts.
Over the last six months, Roma helped the police register four cases involving cannabis addicts and consumers during checks in Adilabad town, KRK Colony, areas under Mavala police station limits and the Adilabad railway station area. The sniffer dog was hired into the police department about a year and a half ago.
While ganja and drug dealers often travel by bus or transport narcotics in bags disguised as luggage within the state or to the Maharashtra border, police regularly check Roma at bus stops.
Pasupula Ramesh, Roma’s caretaker, said that the dog’s presence created fear among drug users and street dealers, many of whom tried to run away when they saw the narcotic dog. “Roma is trained to detect narcotic substances by smell. The dog approaches the person carrying marijuana or drugs and alerts the police by barking,” he said.
One Town Circle Inspector B. Suneel Kumar said Sahil Ahmed, 38, of Dangar Mohallah, was nabbed with the help of Roma during a recent check operation and a case was registered at One Town police station in Adilabad on Friday.
