Continuing the war against drugs, “Yudh Nashian Virudh,” launched by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate the drug menace from the state, the Punjab Police on Sunday conducted raids at 391 locations across Punjab for the 162nd consecutive day.
These operations led to the arrest of 68 drug smugglers and the registration of 50 First Information Reports (FIRs). With this, the total number of drug smugglers arrested has reached 25,343 over the 162-day period.
The raids also resulted in the seizure of 1.4 kg of heroin and 1,594 intoxicant tablets/capsules from those arrested.
The statewide operation was carried out on the directions of Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav and executed simultaneously in all 28 police districts.
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 formed a five-member Cabinet Sub-Committee, led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, to oversee the anti-drug campaign.
Providing further details, Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said that over 110 police teams, comprising more than 900 personnel and supervised by 67 gazetted officers, conducted raids across the state. Police teams also checked 414 suspicious persons during the day-long operation, he added.
The Special DGP further said that the state government has implemented a three-pronged strategy—Enforcement, De-addiction, and Prevention (EDP)—to eliminate drugs from Punjab. As part of the *De-addiction* initiative, the Punjab Police on Monday convinced 43 individuals to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment.