CHANDIGARH: A day after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann set a three-month deadline to make the state drug-free, Punjab Police arrested 290 drug smugglers and registered 232 FIRs in a massive state-level Cordon and Search Operation (CASO). The operation targeted 369 identified drug hotspots, with 798 raids conducted across all 28 police districts.
Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said the four-hour-long operation led to the seizure of 8.14 kg heroin, 1.21 kg opium, 3.5 kg ganja, 19 kg poppy husk, 700 grams charas, 16,238 intoxicant tablets, and Rs 8.02 lakh in drug money. Over 900 police teams, comprising 8,368 personnel, participated in the operation. Five proclaimed offenders were also arrested. Yadav, who was personally monitoring the state-level operation, said the CASO was conducted simultaneously in all the 28 districts from 9 am to 1 pm.
He said the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, has devised a 360-degree action plan to make the state drug-free while rehabilitating drug users. Police officers have been directed to trace the forward and backward linkages of all NDPS Act cases and take strict action against those colluding with drug smugglers.
Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said CPs and SSPs were instructed to meticulously plan the operation and conduct raids in areas sheltering drug peddlers. He added that Punjab Police has adopted a comprehensive strategy and will continue such operations until the drug menace is eradicated.
Police teams have checked over 2000 suspicious persons and taken preventive action against 27 persons, while, five proclaimed offenders (POs) have also been arrested during the operation.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who heads the cabinet sub-committee on drug eradication, said districts have been allocated to four cabinet ministers — Aman Arora, Tarunpreet Singh Sound, Laljeet Singh Bhullar, and himself — to intensify the crackdown. Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh will oversee deaddiction efforts.
"It is a collective responsibility of three crore citizens of Punjab. We must stand united and fight this menace with all our might," Punjab Cabinet Minister and the state president of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Aman Arora said said, while adding that the state government and police alone cannot extricate Punjab from the deep swamp created by previous governments.
In a separate operation, Amritsar Police arrested two drug smugglers, Karanpal Singh (37) and Ranjit Singh (36), recovering 4 kg heroin from them. DGP Yadav said a Pakistan-based smuggler used drones to send the consignment across the border. A case has been registered at Islamabad Police Station in Amritsar under section 21(C) of the NDPS Act.