A file photo of parcels being checked outside the BITS Pilani campus in Sancoale.
From midnight watch at campus gates to raids on shops near schools, inspectors in Vasco, Verna and Mormugao lead a no-nonsense crackdown to shield students from shadow of addiction
VASCO
The death of a 20-year-old BITS Pilani student, Rishi Nair – suspected to have consumed a cocktail of narcotics – has become the flashpoint for an unprecedented police offensive across Mormugao taluka.
From late-night stakeouts outside campus gates to raids on tobacco shops near schools, inspectors from Vasco, Verna and Mormugao police stations are now leading from the front in a crackdown that is as much preventive as it is punitive.
Campus under scanner
Top police officers have already walked the corridors of BITS Pilani Goa, not as visitors but as guardians – mapping every entry, exit and hostel block.
A joint meeting with the campus security agency has ensured that no package, whether a pizza box or a parcel of books, slips through unchecked. “Every delivery is now screened. If there’s doubt, it gets opened on the spot,” said a source.
To add teeth to the vigil, Verna police have stationed extra men outside the campus.
The inspector himself has been spotted holding ground until 2 am, creating a rare double layer of security. Students may feel the weight of scrutiny, but the message is blunt: contraband will find no backdoor entry.
Targeting first rung of addiction
If narcotics are the monster, tobacco and e-cigarettes are the stepping stones. And police across the taluka are now bulldozing even those.
Vasco police swooped down on a busy market outlet, seizing e-cigarettes worth Rs 51,000.
Mormugao police station raided shops near schools, confiscating large hauls of cigarettes and tobacco products.
Verna police cracked down on several outlets in education zones, ensuring students don’t find quick-fix stimulants around the corner.
“All three stations have told people to ban tobacco sales near schools and colleges without compromise,” said a source, calling it “a fight that begins at the first puff.”
The fight hasn’t stopped at tobacco counters. Vasco police recently struck big with a narcotics raid, arresting three persons in possession of 5.3 kg of ganja worth Rs 5.3 lakh.
Investigators are now chasing the source of the consignment and probing whether it was destined for smaller peddlers. “This is not just about the arrest; it’s about dismantling the supply chain,” the source pointed out.
One tragedy, united front
The Mormugao police network is now moving in lockstep: Verna watching the campus gates, Vasco hitting the narcotics circuit, and Mormugao station teams raiding shops around schools. Inspectors are holding meetings with principals, setting up quick alert systems, and positioning themselves not just as enforcers but as protectors of young lives.
For students and parents, the change is visible — more checks, more raids, more seizures. For peddlers and sellers of banned products, the warning is sharper: the taluka police are coming, and they are not coming quietly.
The tragedy of Rishi Nair has lit a fire under Mormugao’s law enforcers. The battle ahead is steep, but the resolve is tougher. And if the first wave of raids is anything to go by, the taluka’s police force is making one thing clear: no compromise, no excuses, no repeat.
