Residents of Malda district's Narayanpur, Kismatpur and some other villages in Mojampur panchayat under Kaliachak police station limits have decided to form surveillance teams to curb the activities of narcotics peddling rackets and assist police in their fight against the drug menace.

The police have welcomed this decision as these areas have long been considered hotspots of narcotics smuggling.

“We have adopted a dual approach to eradicate the narcotics menace from Malda. While atrict punitive action is being taken against those involved in the racket, we are encouraging residents to unite against this crime, which defames their locality when only a small section of people is involved,” said Avijit Banerjee, the superintendent of police of Malda.

According to him, people from these villages recently visited the district police headquarters to express their willingness to cooperate.

“We encouraged and motivated them. They took the initiative to organise meetings in their villages, where a large number of residents participated,” he added.

Local sources said that even a former kingpin of a narcotics racket attended one such meeting.

“What the police are doing is actually for our benefit. Our locality has become infamous because of these criminals, and this cannot continue. Drug addiction can affect us and our own family members as well,” said a trader from Narayanpur.

“The police are conducting raids on criminals. We, on our part, have formed 10-member teams to keep surveillance. In case any suspicious activity of a drug peddler is noticed, the team will nab the person and inform the police,” he added.

So far, he said, at least five such anti-narcotics surveillance teams have been formed. “Some more teams will be formed soon," he said.

Residents claimed that fearing public backlash and police action, some narcotics peddlers had started disposing of their drug stocks in waterbodies.

Over the past few weeks, Malda police have launched extensive operations against drug peddlers. In the past fortnight, more than 30 persons were arrested from different areas under the Kaliachak police station limits for their alleged involvement in narcotics smuggling. The police have seized narcotics worth ₹25 crore in such raids.

Around 80 per cent of those arrested are from the same villages where residents have now joined hands against narcotic smuggling, sources said.

SP Banerjee said they had their own methods of gathering intelligence on narcotics activities. “Now that the villagers are uniting against drug smuggling, it will be an additional help for us,” he said.