<i>Afflicted, they urge police to detain addicted sons</i>
Parents of drug addicts in Barisal city lodged at least six cases in last six weeks with the plea to put their addicted children behind bars to rid them of their tortures.
They made the appeals to save their lives and properties, as the addicts often torture the family members and ransack valuables of the house failing to get money for drugs, according to the case statements.
Court and police sources said a mother of Babuganj area filed a case against her son with Barisal Senior Judicial Magistrate Court on January 20, another by a mother from Band Road on January 3, still another father from Charmonai area filed such a case on January 6.
On January 11, a case was filed by a mother from Hospital Road area with the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court. Two mothers of Jordan Road and Palaspur areas of the city lodged two cases on December 21 and 29 last with the same court.
On receiving the cases, the courts issued arrest warrants against the addicted youths. However, police could not arrest any of them as yet.
A mother from Babuganj requesting not to be named said her 22-year-old son had been taking pethidine for the last five years.
“We admitted him at the Holy Care Institute in the city for treatment and he returned home after a month-long hospital stay following his improvement. But, he again became addicted to the drug,” she said.
“We are passing days in fear as he often becomes violent and ransacks valuables of the house failing to get money for drugs,” she added.
Social workers, police and Rab officials acknowledged that many guardians in the city and upazila towns often lodge complaints to the law enforcement agencies about tortures from their addicted children.
Jahangir Alam, officer-in-charge of Kotowali Police Station, said “We are actively working with other law enforcement agencies to stop drug peddling in the area.”
Rahima Sultan Kajal, an NGO official, said the number of drug addicts is increasing alarmingly all over the district. There are 200 drug spots in the district, she said.
More than two lakh people, mostly youths are drug addicted in the district. Increasing frustration over life, losing moral values are the causes of addiction among the youths, Rahima said.
Drug peddlers are making brisk fortunes at the cost of youths. They are selling different types of drugs like phensidyl, cannabis, liquor, heroin, different types of pain killer, sedative injections, tablets and liquid adhesive known as Dandy to them, she added.
A section of local influential people are assisting the drug peddling syndicate in the city. A source of Rab was killed by the drug peddlers in Kawnia last week, court sources said.
The drug peddlers, arrested by the law enforcement agencies at different times, easily manage to get out on bail from the court, sources added.
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