As Punjab’s anti-drug campaign “Yudh Nashian De Virudh”, launched under the directives of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, entered its 50th day, Punjab Police on Saturday apprehended 131 drug traffickers and seized 1.7 kg of heroin and 3.5 kg of opium. This brings the total number of drug-related arrests to 6,737 within just 50 days.
The statewide crackdown was carried out across all 28 police districts under the instructions of Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav.
CM Bhagwant Mann has issued strict directions to Police Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, and SSPs to intensify efforts to make Punjab a drug-free state. To monitor progress, the state government has also set up a five-member Cabinet Sub-Committee led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.
Providing further details, Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla shared that over 220 police teams comprising 2,000+ personnel and supervised by 100 gazetted officers conducted raids at 468 locations across Punjab. These operations resulted in the registration of 82 FIRs and the checking of 528 suspicious individuals.
In a significant enforcement action, the Jalandhar Commissionerate Police, in collaboration with the local Municipal Corporation, demolished an illegal structure belonging to three well-known drug smugglers—Lakhwir Kaur alias, Sandeep Kumar, and Suraj—who have eight NDPS Act cases against them.
Special DGP Shukla also noted that the state is pursuing a three-pronged strategy—Enforcement, De-addiction, and Prevention (EDP)—to tackle the drug issue. As part of this effort, police persuaded two individuals to begin de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment.
Additionally, inspection drives were carried out at 141 pharmaceutical shops across five districts—Sri Muktsar Sahib, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Moga, and Fazilka—to ensure compliance with norms and prevent the illegal sale of addictive drugs.