Lucknow, Aug 27 (Inditop.com) Bhool-Bhulaiya, crazy medicine, Yaba – call it what you want, but it’s a banned drug that is gaining popularity in Lucknow’s rave parties and has the police and the anti-narcotics body worried.
Yaba has become a talking point in many tuition classes in upmarket areas like Hazratganj, Gomtinagar and Indiranagar, as also in bars where police say the drug is clandestinely used along with alcoholic drinks.
“One of my friends showed me Yaba. It looks just like any other tablet and he told me that it costs only Rs.200,” revealed Puneet (name changed), a 17-year-old.
Yaba is cheaper than heroin, cocaine and Ecstasy, which are also a hit at parties here. Alprazolame is another drug that is much sought after.
Police and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) sources say they have not yet recovered Yaba during raids but they have intelligence reports that it is being circulated, especially in parties at three water parks on the city’s outskirts and certain club resorts and pubs.
“The inflow of Yaba in Lucknow is not ruled out. The use of Alprazolame, mixed with heroin, has gained popularity among youth and we are keeping a strict vigil on drug dealers,” NCB zonal director Sanjay Kumar told Inditop.
NCB sources say Yaba comes in a quantity of 0.5 to 2 mg and costs between Rs.50 and Rs.200 in Lucknow, while heroin costs Rs.100 per 0.1 gram, cocaine Rs.2,500 to Rs.8,000 depending on the quality, Ecstasy tablets of 0.2 mg to 2 mg come for Rs.500 to Rs.1,500 and LSD liquid costs Rs.500 to Rs.1,000 per drop.
Medical experts say consumption of the Yaba tablet gives a rush of energy but is dangerous in the long run.
“The tablet also increases the sexual capacity of a person and that is why youth seek it. However, if consumed continuously, it can destroy the body within a year,” Yusuf Merchant, president of the Drug Abuse Information Rehabilitation and Research Centre, told Inditop.
“It can result in rapid heart rate, high blood pressure and damage of blood vessels in the brain.”
More common in rave parties in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and other metros, Yaba finds its way into India through Bangladesh, according to NCB officials.
“Yaba is smuggled from Bangladesh and Myanmar to Kolkata. From there it is supplied to other parts of the country,” an official told Inditop.
An official of the police’s intelligence unit here said: “The areas where such banned drugs are sold include Nakkhas, Charbagh, Alambagh and some other localities of old Lucknow.
“We also have information about some drug peddlers, who are active near farmhouses and hotels on the city’s outskirts.”
The city cops had in the recent past arrested many people, including Nepali nationals, with narcotics.
“Over 50 people, including Nepali nationals and women, have been arrested with narcotics like heroin and cocaine,” police spokesperson Alok Pathak said.
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