Under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s ongoing campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ to eliminate drug abuse from Punjab, the state police carried out raids at 501 locations on Thursday, marking the sixth consecutive day of the operation. The crackdown led to the arrest of 75 drug smugglers and the registration of 53 FIRs, bringing the total number of arrests to 622 within just six days.
During the operation, authorities seized 8.2 kg of heroin, 4.5 kg of opium, 1,294 intoxicant tablets/pills/injections, and ₹1.04 lakh in drug money from the arrested individuals.
The large-scale action was conducted across all 28 police districts under the directives of Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav. Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has instructed Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners, and Senior Superintendents of Police to make Punjab a drug-free state within the next three months. To oversee this mission, the Punjab government has formed a five-member Cabinet Sub-Committee, led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.
Providing further details, Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla revealed that over 250 police teams, comprising more than 1,700 personnel, conducted the raids under the supervision of 108 gazetted officers. As part of the drive, police also checked 635 suspicious individuals.
The Special DGP further stated that Punjab Police is implementing a three-pronged strategy—Enforcement, De-addiction, and Prevention (EDP)—to eradicate drug abuse. Under the de-addiction initiative, nine individuals have voluntarily agreed to undergo rehabilitation treatment, while 172 awareness programs have been organized across the state to prevent substance abuse.