Ernakulam rural police screen drug awareness movie for guest workers

Kochi: Ernakulam rural police on Sunday hired a cinema hall in Perumbavoor to screen a free show of a Bengali short film against drug abuse. The film was screened to a packed audience of migrant labourers at EVM theatre in Perumbavoor. The screening was held in the backdrop of a migrant worker's death last week soon after being injected with heroin.A social awareness Bengali short film titled ‘Pao' was scheduled to be screened at 9.30am but the theatre was full by 9am. People from Perumbavoor and nearby areas came to watch the movie. Police officers, employers and social workers also attended the screening.Perumbavoor ASP Hardik Meena addressed the audience before the show. The workers also took an anti-drug pledge after the screening. The film screening was part of Operation Punarjani, led by district police chief M Hemalatha. The project aims to combat drug use among workers and provide medical, psychological and social support to those affected. Besides raising awareness, the project aims to promote alternative lifestyles, conduct checks in collaboration with authorities from other states, create a safe living environment and offer opportunities for sports and recreation.A youth from Assam died after being injected with heroin on Monday. Police recovered CCTV footage of another man from Assam injecting the drug into the victim, who collapsed soon after.Heroin worth nearly Rs 1 crore was seized in Aug alone in rural Ernakulam. With many users sharing syringes, the threat of a full-blown HIV outbreak and instances of overdosing are highly probable. Improper administration of the drug can lead to air bubbles entering the bloodstream and causing death.Since the drug is easily concealable, most accused transport it by train from Assam, hiding it in plastic soap boxes. A single box can be bought there for around Rs 80,000, before being repacked into tiny bottles and sold for Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 each. Although the drug is mainly used among migrant workers, Keralites are also learned to be using it, said sources.