Man caught in possession of heroin was an outsider: LUMS

University spokesperson says the suspect was caught while exiting the premises

LAHORE: A Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) spokesperson has confirmed that a man was caught in possession of heroin on the university premises on late Wednesday night.

A statement sent on Friday said the suspect was an outsider. It said he was caught by the security personnel at the main entrance as he was exiting the university in a car. It called inaccurate media reports to the effect that the suspect was caught at a male students’ hostel on the campus. “The search and seizure occurred because the LUMS security was aware of the presence of an outsider in one of our hostels. The university then contacted the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) to proceed with the case,” he said.



The statement dismissed the suggestion that a large quantity of drug was seized from the suspect’s possession. “The amount of heroin seized from the suspect was less than 150g. This can be verified with the ANF,” she said. It also rejected the suggestion that the administration was conducting a search operation in the hostels.

The statement said on-campus drug abuse was a small scale problem. “LUMS administration is aware of the challenge and it constantly monitors the situation,” it said. It said on average one to two cases of possession of narcotics were reported from the university in a year. More than 5,000 students were enrolled in the university, it added.

The statement added: “We believe the problem of drug use exists at all campuses nation-wide, like universities across the world. The best approach to address this challenge is not to ignore or hide it but to have strict procedures put in place to identify and handle these cases.”

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It said these cases were dealt with assistance from the law enforcement agencies and the campus community. “Transparency is the best guarantee of success in the struggle for a narcotics-free future in the long term,” it added.

Earlier, an ANF official had identified the suspect only as Shahid. He said that the university administration had caught him and handed him over to the force. He said the suspect was found in possession of 140 grams of heroin. The official said an FIR had been registered and the suspect was on a physical remand.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2015.