Using social media to sell drugs in Karachi

KARACHI: With the rampant rise of narcotics use in the metropolis, police on Monday apprehended four members of a gang who were using social media to sell drugs.

The arrests took place in the posh locality of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase VI in the city. Identified as Ashfaq, Tabbasum, Ahsan and Taha, the four suspects who police say are part of a larger eight member gang would use social media to approach people especially women and sell them narcotics.

“The police as part of the operation approached the group on Facebook. Police officials were offered drugs and called to a location from where the members of the group were arrested,” SHO Darakshan Police Station Aurangzeb Khattak said.

A large quantity of narcotics including hash and crystal meth which is being used in universities across the country were recovered from the possession of the suspects.

Police said a search has been initiated to arrest the remaining members of the gang who are believed to be involved in the sale of cocaine and ecstasy.

The use of social media for illegal actives has been on the rise in Pakistan. In the past, social media websites such as Facebook have been used to lure young men and kidnap them.