Continuing the relentless crackdown on drugs under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign, the Punjab Police conducted 543 raids across the state on Wednesday, resulting in the arrest of 118 drug smugglers and the registration of 71 FIRs. With this, the total number of arrests in 12 days has reached 1,658.
During these operations, police teams seized 994 grams of heroin, 4,633 intoxicant tablets/pills/injections, and ₹1.47 lakh in drug-related cash from the arrested individuals.
The large-scale operation was carried out on the directives of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, with coordinated action in all 28 police districts of the state.
Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has directed law enforcement agencies, including Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners, and SSPs, 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, to monitor progress in the fight against drugs.
Providing further insights, Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla revealed that over 250 police teams, comprising more than 1,600 personnel under the supervision of 102 gazetted officers, conducted statewide raids and interrogated 659 suspicious individuals during the day-long operation.
He emphasized that Punjab Police has implemented a well-structured strategy to eliminate drugs, and such operations will continue until the menace is completely eradicated.
Additionally, as part of the state’s three-pronged approach—Enforcement, Deaddiction, and Prevention (EDP)—Punjab Police has facilitated de-addiction treatment for 19 individuals and conducted 154 awareness programs to prevent substance abuse.
Meanwhile, police teams inspected 281 pharmaceutical shops in five districts—Fatehgarh Sahib, Commissionerate Police Ludhiana, Ludhiana Rural, Khanna, and Malerkotla—to ensure strict compliance with regulations on the sale of habit-forming drugs and prevent illegal distribution of intoxicant tablets.