The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Keep an eye on your drink while dancing

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Monday, Dec 27, 2010
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Keep an eye on your drink while dancing

M.T. Shiva Kumar

Bangalore: Are you planning to paint the town red this New Year's Eve? Be doubly cautious if you are heading out to a pub with casual acquaintances. Because, according to the police, incidents of drinks being spiked are on the rise.

Though cases of sexual abuse of women whose drinks had been spiked have not been reported in the city, R. Lakshman, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Women and Narcotics Squad), Central Crime Branch, advises caution. “Even if such incidents have taken place, victims in most cases do not come forward to lodge a complaint,” he said.

In the recent past, cases of women being drugged, raped and dumped after late-night parties have been reported in Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Surat.

In 2003, a young girl in Goa was drugged and gang-raped by her friends. The accused had offered her a cigarette and she lost consciousness after she smoked it, said an official of the Narcotics Wing of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Bangalore. “A British tourist was drugged and sexually assaulted at a hotel in New Delhi in 2007. A few months ago an American girl who was studying at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai was also drugged and raped by her friends,” another officer said.

The city police will be vigilant this New Year's Eve to check cases of drink spiking in bars and pubs, including high-end ones, Mr. Lakshman said.

Colourless, odourless

“The common drugs used to spike drinks are colourless, odourless and tasteless. After consuming spiked drinks the victim may experience disorientation, memory loss and time-space confusion,” Pranitha, a gynaecologist, said.

Such drugs can be made by mixing painkillers and anti-allergy drugs that are available over the counter. Women should be careful while partying in poorly lit places. Their drinks may be spiked when they are having a great time, she said.

Concerned over the easy availability of such drugs, the Police Department is planning to discuss the issue with the Drugs Control Department.

“We will request the department to initiate stringent action against pharmacists selling such drugs over the counter. We will support and assist the Drugs Control Department to conduct raids on such medical stores,” an officer at the Central Crime Branch told The Hindu.

The sale of such drugs without medical prescription is an offence under various sections of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Such druggists shall be punishable with imprisonment and fine, senior advocate Chaya Manjunath said.

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