CHANDIGARH, March 7: The war against drugs, “Yudh Nashian Virudh,” continues. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann directs it.The goal is to eradicate the drug menace from the state for the seventh consecutive day. Punjab Police on Friday carried out a special operation called ‘OPS Seal-IX.’ This operation aimed to check all vehicles entering or exiting the Punjab border. The intent is to keep tabs on drug trafficking and liquor smuggling.

Punjab Police Conducts Joint Naka Operations at Inter-State Borders

The operation took place from 8am to 2pm in all the districts. During this time, Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav gave directions. Authorities instructed all SSPs of border districts to organise joint Naka operations at strategic locations.They were to mobilise a maximum number of manpower to lay strong ‘nakas’ at sealing points. Gazetted officers/SHOs supervised this. Sharing details, Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla explained the setup.Inspectors/DSPs supervised the establishment of well-coordinated strong nakas, involving over 1000 police personnel at 84 entry/exit points across 10 districts. These districts share boundaries with four border states and UT Chandigarh. The 10 inter-state border districts include Pathankot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, Ropar, SAS Nagar, Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa, Hoshiarpur and Bathinda.

border; Police Check 3,938 Vehicles, Arrest 111 in Anti-Drug Raids

He said authorities checked 3,938 vehicles entering or exiting the state, challaned 471, and impounded 11 during the operation. Apart from this, Police teams have continued their cordon and search operation (CASO) against drugs. They conducted raids at 687 locations on Friday. First, they registered 86 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. This action led to the arrest of 111 drug smugglers. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 884 within a week. The Special DGP said that the raids have resulted in recovery of 1.2 kg heroin, 9.8 kg opium, 3.3 kg ganja, 46 kg poppy husk, 7091 intoxicant tablets/pills/injections and Rs 1.32 lakh drug money from the possession of arrested drug smugglers.

Punjab Police Conduct Statewide Raids, Intensify Anti-Drug Drive

He said that over 250 Police teams, with more than 2000 police personnel, conducted raids across the state. These teams were under the supervision of 111 gazetted officers. They checked as many as 787 suspicious persons during the day-long operation. He said that Punjab Police has devised a comprehensive strategy. Such operations will continue until the scourge of drugs is eradicated from the state. The Special DGP said that the state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy. It includes Enforcement, Deaddiction, and Prevention (EDP). This strategy aims to eradicate drugs from the state. The Punjab Police, as part of ‘De-addiction,’ has convinced two persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment. Meanwhile, they organized 189 awareness events across the state on Tuesday as part of Prevention.