Hyderabad: Malkajgiri police apprehended two persons for consuming alcohol in public at Saroornagar Lake, after drone surveillance flagged the activity to a beat constable stationed in the area.
The two individuals were spotted on camera drinking near the lake premises, prompting the Beat Constable, Malkajgiri, to move in and detain them on the spot. Police have initiated legal action against the duo as per law.
The action is part of Malkajgiri Police’s expanding drone surveillance programme, which was rolled out earlier this year primarily to curb drug use among students in Dilsukhnagar and LB Nagar. Malkajgiri Commissioner of Police B Sumathi had earlier announced that drones would be deployed during late hours to track suspicious movement in vulnerable spots such as parks, hostel terraces and secluded lanes.
As part of the same drive, police had also conducted a special audit of hostels within Saroornagar limits, directing managements to install high-resolution CCTV cameras and alert parents of any behavioural changes noticed among students. Pan shops suspected of selling banned substances were also placed under watch.
With the latest action at Saroornagar Lake, police have signalled that the aerial surveillance net now extends beyond drug enforcement to cover public nuisance and law-and-order violations such as drinking in public spaces, a popular offence around the city’s lakefronts and parks.
Officials reiterated that strict action would continue against violators, regardless of the nature of the offence, as part of efforts to maintain public order in the jurisdiction.
