‘Little Goa’ keeps North Campus abuzz with drug accessories

Right from shaving brush to lipstick, drug addicts have found innovative ways to conceal contraband from the police. Innovative drug accessories and cosmetics adorn the display of 'Little Goa', a shop located a few metres away from a government school in North Campus.  After walking a few more metres from the shop, the prestigious Hansraj College is easily visible.

The owner of the shop, sitting in a corner, candidly shares how students throng the outlet, asking for products that they can use when they get caught by their parents or the police. Sharing an instance, to ensure that she is not caught by her mother, a 20-year-old student, smoking marijuana, used lipstick to evade questions from her.

“ We keep day-to-day items such as pen, shaving brush and lipstick to name a few that can be used as easy carriers for people to hide drugs. It is most commonly used by students who live in paying guest accommodation, where their wardens keep a strict tab on their activities. A girl told me how the lipstick she bought from my shop saved her from getting caught by her mother, who entered her room suddenly. The girl was smoking marijuana at that time,” said Little Goa's owner, who refused to share his identity.

On entering the shop, one can see not only colourful chillums and artistic bongs, but several intricate products lined up in a way that they appear to be nothing short of pretty gifts.

Little Goa is not only a shop. It also has a full functioning website, which offers discounts on chillums, paper grinders, bongs, etc.

Millennium Post also spoke to other shopkeepers in the neighbourhood about Little Goa.  A shopkeeper, who runs a floor mill shop, said: “It is a menace, especially in the evenings. One can see beer bottles right outside the shop. Moreover, it becomes difficult for women to step out in the area after sunset.”

Liitle Goa may be a hotspot for many students and youngsters, but many are not aware about it. A resident said he thought Little Goa to be a gift shop.

“The presence of the shop adds is a menace in the area. We have approached the police several times, but in vain. How can a shop like this, which sells drug accessories, deny selling drugs?" questioned Ananth Kumar, a member of an RWA in the area.

“Selling of contraband within 100 metres of an educational institution is prohibited. If there is a shop that flouts the rules of the Tobacco Act, we will look into the matter and take appropriate action,” said Madhur Verma, DCP (North).