On the 132nd day of the ongoing anti-drug campaign “Yudh Nashian Virudh,” launched under the directive of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eliminate drug abuse from Punjab, the state police arrested 116 drug traffickers and seized 4.5 kg of heroin along with 1 kg of opium. This brings the total number of drug smugglers arrested to 21,495 since the campaign began.
The statewide operation was carried out under the instructions of Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav and executed simultaneously across all 28 police districts.
CM Bhagwant Mann has urged Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners, and SSPs to work collectively towards making Punjab a drug-free state. To further intensify efforts, the state government has formed a five-member Cabinet Sub-Committee led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema to oversee the anti-drug drive.
Providing further details, Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla stated that over 180 police teams comprising more than 1,300 personnel, under the guidance of 86 gazetted officers, conducted raids at 459 locations across Punjab. These operations resulted in the registration of 85 FIRs and checks on 459 suspicious individuals.
Shukla added that under the government’s three-pronged approach—Enforcement, De-addiction, and Prevention (EDP)—Punjab Police also persuaded 75 individuals to begin de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment on the same day.