Bengaluru Accounts for Nearly 78% of Student Drug Supply Arrests in Karnataka

Bengaluru accounted for nearly eight out of every 10 students arrested in drug supply cases across Karnataka in 2026, according to police data presented by Home Minister Priyank Kharge in the recent Assembly session.

A total of 177 students were arrested for alleged involvement in drug supply in the city during the year. This represented 77.63% of the 228 students arrested for supply-related offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act statewide.

In total, Bengaluru recorded 189 student arrests for narcotics offences, which included 12 students in consumption cases alongside the 177 in supply cases. Across Karnataka, 395 students were arrested for drug-related offences, placing Bengaluru's share at 47.85% of all student narcotics arrests in the state.

The student arrests formed part of a wider narcotics enforcement footprint in the city. Bengaluru registered 3,348 NDPS cases involving supply and consumption in 2026, making up 44.01% of the 7,608 cases recorded across Karnataka. The city also accounted for 4,383 of the 10,131 accused individuals statewide, or 43.26%.

The concentration of student supply arrests in the state capital contrasted sharply with figures from other police jurisdictions. Mangaluru City recorded 26 student arrests in supply cases, Hubballi-Dharwad reported six, Kodagu four, Davangere two, and Tumakuru and Hassan one each. Several other districts recorded zero student arrests in supply cases.

Kharge also stated that Bengaluru recorded 2,280 chargesheets and 504 convictions in NDPS cases, accounting for 43.44% and 51.38% of Karnataka's respective totals.

Police officials noted that the figures reflect arrests and do not by themselves establish guilt or conviction. However, senior officials highlighted growing concern over young people allegedly being drawn directly into narcotics distribution networks rather than solely being involved in consumption.