Curbing drug smuggling top priority: Himachal police chief

SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh’s new Director General of Police D.S. Manhas Thursday said curbing drug smuggling in the state would be among his top priorities.

“Special drives would be launched in drug-infested districts of Kullu, Mandi and Kangra both at the time of cultivation and flowering of opium and cannbis. The problem (in the state) is getting more acute due to rising cultivation of opium,” Manhas told reporters after assuming the charge as the new DGP.

He also cautioned the public against fraudulent e-mails, mobile calls and SMSes on winning millions of rupees in lotteries.

“A large number of fraudulent cases have come to fore in the state in the recent past. My advice to the public to be cautious while replying and providing details of bank accounts and personal information to unknown people,” he said.

Manhas, a 1977-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, replaces G.S. Gill, who retired Wednesday after serving as the state police chief for two years.

The new DGP, who is also holding additional charge of the state’s vigilance and anti-corruption bureau, said his other priorities would be to improve professional policing, reducing road accidents by identifying accident-prone areas and checking corruption in the government machinery.

During his previous stint as vigilance chief, he handled several high-profile cases of corruption, including one involving union Minister for Steel Virbhadra Singh and his wife and former Congress MP Pratibha Singh.