Date rape drugs may have been used on US student

The use of date rape drugs seems to be rearing its ugly head once again in the city. The gang rape of an American national studying at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Trombay, has brought this issue to the fore.

The use of date rape drugs seems to be rearing its ugly head once again in the city. The gang rape of an American national studying at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Trombay, has brought this issue to the fore.u00a0u00a0u00a0

According to police, the girl in her early 20s claimed that she was drugged on her way to an apartment in Andheri on Saturday where she was allegedly molested by six men. The next morning, the victim has no recollection of the events that unfolded that night.u00a0u00a0

According to Dr Rajan Bhonsle, head of sexual medicine at KEM, three drugs are termed as date rape drugs GBH (gama hydroxybutyrate), rohypnol (flunitrazepam) and ketamine hydrochloride. "Of these, rohypnol is the most dangerous as it is odourless, dissolves in seconds and does not alter the taste of the food and drink.

GBH alters the taste of food, and ketamine does not dissolve quickly thus making rohypnol an assaulter's first choice of drug." Rohypnol puts the consumer in a state of unconsciousness that nearly equals the effect of anaesthesia, within 20 minutes of its intake.

Of the three drugs, the most lethal is ketamine, an overdose of which can kill a person. "These drugs are often smuggled into the country and are used to treat manic or aggressive patients. But unfortunately they are being used to exploit women like in the case of the American student, " said Bhonsle.

FDA Joint Commissioner (vigilance) R Sahay said that the CID had completed a thorough investigation into the sale and purchase of ketamine in the city two years ago. "We had stepped up our efforts in 2006 and 2007 when several cases in which ketamine was used were reported. Now, if there is a large sale or purchase of the drug, we will conduct an immediate probe," he added.

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