From reunions to rehab: Drug peddlers prey on Hyderabad school, college alumni groups; addicted boy tied up by family for treatment
City psychiatrists and de-addiction experts say they are witnessing a sharp rise in cases of individuals succumbing to substance abuse after reviving contact with long-lost 'buddies' - either on alumni groups or at reunions.
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The modus operandi is usually the same: Peddlers join the network, scour the space for easy targets, leverage their past connection to gradually peddle drugs to those identified and eventually build on their network.
"In one case, an MNC employee was caught taking MDMA bought from her school friend," said K Devika Rani, a de-addiction expert. She shared how the victim fell into the trap of her old classmate who had meticulously followed her posts and learned about her weekly house parties.
"The peddler noticed that the victim hung out with a close group of women every weekend. He began suggesting ways to make the parties more exciting, eventually introducing the idea of trying MDMA," Rani added.
In another recent case, a 16-year-old had to be brought to the Institute of Mental Health and later admitted to a rehabilitation centre with extreme aggression and self-harming tendency after he got addicted to alprazolam.
'Students turning peddlers & using school group contacts'
His family had to tie him up to bring him to the hospital. He was introduced to substances by a schoolmate,' said Jawaharlal Nehru P, senior psychologist, Tele Manas, Telangana, adding how the emotional comfort of reconnecting often makes individuals vulnerable to such dangers.
'Familiarity creates an illusion of trust. But just because someone was your friend in school doesn't mean you know who they are today,' warned the psychologist adding how people unknowingly become vulnerable to familiar faces from the past.
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Experts said how many peddlers are also using alumni connections to net students pursuing professional courses in India or studying abroad. Through them they introduce substances at slumber parties or brownies laced with hash oil and vapes. In fact, some students in other states are turning peddlers themselves — using school or college group contacts — to earn some quick bucks.
'One of my patients, a Class 11 student studying in Pune, said he gets his drugs from Pune and supplies it to his schoolmates back in Hyderabad during house parties,' said Dr Charan Teja Koganti, aneuropsychiatrist.
'I've seen a similar case where someone returned from Karnataka for a reunion and got others hooked on cannabis. Such cases are becoming more frequent now and the age of victims is steadily decreasing. We are seeing children as young as 14, sometimes even younger, being addicted to substance abuse,' he added.
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