In a first, woman detained under Goonda Act

For the first time in the State, a woman has been detained under the harsh Goonda Act (the Karnataka Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Drug Offenders, Gamblers, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders and Slum Grabbers Act).

Farida, a resident of Shariff Nagar, was detained by the police under the said law on Wednesday. Police said the woman, along with her children Mubarak and Jamshad and their friends, used to peddle marijuana. She is suspected to have been in this business for the last 15 years. She, along with her children, would sell the drug to students from well-known schools and colleges, besides seeking customers near malls, parking lots and cinema halls.

Farida has been named in 10 cases registered at Yeshwantpur and other police stations. She was jailed previously and had come out on bail. But she persisted with the “illegal” activities, the police claimed.

“To keep the crime in check, we have booked her under the Goonda Act for the first time. This should serve as a lesson for other offenders that no one will be spared if they continue to indulge in illegal activities,” a senior police officer said.