Chandigarh, May 5 -- Areas under the Sector-39 police station have emerged as the hotbed of narcotics activity in Chandigarh, clocking the highest number of NDPS Act cases-85 between 2020 and April 2025. The cases are largely concentrated in colonies located in Sector 38-A and 38-C, and the four-storey housing block in Sector 56 (Palsora). Heroin remains the most seized drug. These areas, police say, are dominated by members of the Sansi tribe from Rajasthan, with a whopping 98% cases registered against individuals from the community. Police data reveals that the Sector-39 police station has consistently remained among the top contributors to the city's drug case tally, with 22 cases in 2020, followed by 21 in 2022 and 16 in 2023. Even in the current year, it has already logged eight cases, pointing toward unabated drug circulation. Overall, the Sector-39 police station has Sectors 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 54, 55 and 56 under its ambit. Following closely, the Sector-31 police station recorded 71 cases, while Sector-36 police station stood third with 63 cases over the same five-year span. What makes this network particularly challenging is the changing face of drug peddling in these zones-women are at the helm, operating drug deals discreetly through mobile phones and delivering consignments across the city. "Earlier, people would walk into their homes to buy narcotics. Now, deals are set over a phone call, and delivery is made in marketplaces," a senior police officer revealed. In 2024, Chandigarh Police ramped up efforts to choke the supply chain. Realising that drug peddlers used narrow lanes and shortcuts to evade capture in Sector 38, police erected fences and physically dug up escape routes with the help of JCB machines, making it difficult for accused to flee during raids in the area. The focus was particularly on the colonies in Sector 38-A and 38-C, where these hideouts grew rapidly. In a bid to outsmart law enforcement, many peddlers have installed CCTV cameras outside their homes, allowing them to monitor police movements in real time. To prevent drug deals from escaping their radar, police also set up naka points right outside suspect homes and have increased round-the-clock patrolling. "We've made the area almost impenetrable by conventional means, but they have gotten smarter," an officer said. "Now they pick up scooters and go to city markets or parking lots where transactions are carried out under the radar." OUR TAKE: Collective effort needed to root out drug problem P2...