As the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ (War Against Drugs), launched under the directives of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, completed 130 days, the Punjab Police on Wednesday arrested 142 drug smugglers and recovered 3.5 kg of heroin, 1.5 kg of opium, and ₹1.19 lakh in drug money from their possession.
With these arrests, the total number of drug smugglers apprehended during the 130-day campaign has reached 21,231.
The operation was carried out under the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav, simultaneously across all 28 police districts of the state.
Chief Minister Mann has directed the Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners, and Senior Superintendents of Police to make Punjab a drug-free state.
The Punjab government has also constituted a five-member Cabinet Sub-Committee, led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, to monitor the progress of the anti-drug campaign.
Sharing details, Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla informed that over 180 police teams—comprising more than 1,300 personnel and supervised by 87 gazetted officers—conducted raids at 429 locations across the state. These efforts led to the registration of 105 First Information Reports (FIRs). Additionally, police teams checked 455 suspicious individuals during the day-long operation.
The Special DGP added that the state government has adopted a three-pronged strategy —Enforcement, De-addiction, and Prevention (EDP) — to combat drug abuse. As part of the de-addiction efforts, Punjab Police persuaded 64 individuals to undergo treatment and rehabilitation on Wednesday alone.