Udupi Superintendent of Police (SP) Hariram Shankar said the initiative allowing people to anonymously report drug abuse and smoking in public places through QR codes has received a good response, with the police receiving 193 reports through the codes so far.

Mr. Shankar was speaking after inaugurating a Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan event organised by the Udupi police in Udupi on Tuesday.

The police placed QR codes at strategic locations, including near educational institutions and other public places, enabling people to anonymously report the sale and consumption of drugs and cigarettes by scanning the codes, he said.

The SP said: “Anyone can scan the QR code and inform the police about the sale and consumption of drugs. The identities of those who report will be kept confidential. People should report such activities without fear.”

Following these reports, the police have registered several cases and arrested a number of drug peddlers. In some cases, victims of drug abuse were counselled and rehabilitated, the SP said.

Mr. Shankar said that there had been a marked decline in drug abuse in the district because of the initiative.

Mr. Shankar said drugs were being used to weaken society by targeting young people and making them dependent on contraband substances. Drug abuse, he said, not only causes irreparable damage to users but also affects their families, society, and the country. People should be aware of these dangers and stay away from such vices, he urged.

Psychiatrist P.V. Bhandari said children in India often begin developing harmful habits around the age of 13. Owing to misconceptions and peer influence, many teenagers get trapped in harmful practices and find it difficult to come out of them.

Adarsh Hospital Medical Director G.S. Chandrashekhar said educated people were likelier to fall victim to drug addiction than uneducated people. It was a tragedy that girls too were becoming victims of drug abuse and losing their lives, he said.

Social activist Nityananda Volakadu, Deputy SP K.U. Belliappa, City Police Inspector Mahesh Prasad, Malpe Police Inspector Ramachandra Naik and others were present.