CM Bhagwant : Punjab Police conducted raids at 524 locations on the fourth day, arresting 69 drug smugglers.
Under the leadership of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab’s ongoing “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign entered its fourth consecutive day, aiming to eliminate drug abuse from the state. On Tuesday, Punjab Police inspected 164 pharmaceutical shops across six districts—Hoshiarpur, SBS Nagar, Jalandhar Rural, Commissionerate Jalandhar, Kapurthala, and Rupnagar—to ensure compliance with regulations and prevent the sale of intoxicant tablets or habit-forming drugs.
In addition to these inspections, police teams continued their cordon and search operation ( ) against drug trafficking, conducting raids at 524 locations across Punjab. These efforts led to the arrest of 69 drug smugglers and the registration of 53 FIRs, bringing the total number of arrested drug offenders to 472 within just four days. The crackdown also resulted in the seizure of 1.5 kg of heroin, 100 grams of opium, 7,610 intoxicant tablets/pills/injections, and ₹1.33 lakh in drug-related proceeds.
The large-scale operation was carried out across all 28 police districts of the state under the directives of Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav. Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has instructed senior police and administrative officials to make Punjab a drug-free state within the next three months. Additionally, a five-member Cabinet Sub-Committee, led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, has been formed to oversee the anti-drug efforts.
Providing further details, Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla stated that over 250 police teams, comprising more than 1,900 personnel under the supervision of 101 senior officers, conducted the raids and checked 627 suspicious individuals. 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 government’s three-pronged approach—Enforcement, De-addiction, and Prevention (EDP)—Punjab Police has encouraged three individuals to seek de-addiction treatment while also organizing 161 awareness events across the state to prevent substance abuse.