Under the directives of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Police continued its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign against drugs for the 21st consecutive day, conducting raids at 493 locations across the state. These operations led to the arrest of 63 drug smugglers and the registration of 47 FIRs, bringing the total number of arrests to 2,527 within three weeks.
During the raids, police teams seized 573 grams of heroin, 10 kg of opium, 1,470 intoxicant tablets/pills/injections, and ₹4,750 in drug money from the accused. The statewide operation was carried out on the directions of Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav, covering all 28 police districts.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has instructed law enforcement officials, including Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners, and SSPs, to intensify efforts to make Punjab a drug-free state. Additionally, a five-member Cabinet Sub-Committee led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has been formed to oversee the anti-drug campaign.
Providing further details, Special DGP (Law & Order) Arpit Shukla stated that over 200 police teams, comprising more than 1,300 personnel and supervised by 96 gazetted officers, conducted raids and checked 530 individuals during the operation. He emphasized that Punjab Police has devised a comprehensive action plan and will continue such operations until the drug menace is completely eradicated.
As part of the state government’s three-pronged strategy—Enforcement, Deaddiction, and Prevention (EDP)—Punjab Police has encouraged two individuals to seek de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment while organizing 125 awareness programs across the state.
Meanwhile, police teams also inspected 170 pharmaceutical shops in six districts, including Amritsar Commissionerate, Gurdaspur, Batala, Pathankot, Amritsar Rural, and Tarn Taran, to ensure compliance with regulations and prevent the illegal sale of intoxicant drugs.