CHANDIGARH, April 8:
With the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state entered 39th day, Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested 71 drug smugglers and recovered 1.8 kg heroin, 4.9 kg opium, 13362 intoxicant capsules/tablets and ₹9000 drug money from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 5373 in just 39 days.
The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav simultaneously in all 28 Police districts of the state.
Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has asked the Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendent of Police to make Punjab drug free state. The Punjab government has also constituted a 5-member Cabinet Sub Committee led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema to monitor the war against drugs.
Divulging details, Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla informed that over 180 Police teams, comprising over 900 police personnel, under the supervision of 60 gazetted officers have conducted raids at as many as 350 locations across the state leading to the registration of 43 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. Police teams have also checked as many as 404 suspicious persons during the day long operation, he added.
The Special DGP said that with the state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy— Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention (EDP)— to eradicate drugs from the state, the Punjab Police as part of ‘De-addiction’ has convinced one person to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment.
Meanwhile, Police teams have also conducted checking at as many as 208 pharmaceutical shops in five districts including Sri Muktsar Sahib, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Moga and Fazilka to ensure that they are not selling intoxicant tablets or any other habit-forming drugs, and are adhering to the prescribed norms and regulations regarding the sale of medicines.
