*DECISIVE WAR AGAINST DRUGS: 260 BIG FISH AMONG 2205 DRUG SMUGGLERS HELD IN A MONTH; Rs 49L DRUG MONEY RECOVERED*

 POLICE TEAMS RECOVERED 30KG HEROIN, 75KG OPIUM, 69 KG GANJA, 185 QUINTALS OF POPPY HUSK & 12.56 LAKHS TABLETS/CAPSULES/INJECTIONS/VIALS SINCE JULY 5

— CHIEF MINISTER BHAGWANT MANN TO REWARD THREE TOPMOST DISTRICTS BASED ON THEIR PERFORMANCE IN DRUG RECOVERY

CHANDIGARH, August 1:

          With the special drive started by Chief Minister Punjab Bhagwant Mann to root out the drug menace from the state almost completed one month, Punjab Police have arrested as many as 2205 drug smugglers including 260 big fish since July 5, 2022. The Police have registered a total of 1730 first information reports (FIRs) in the span of which 145 are related to commercial quantity.  Inspector General of Police (IGP) Headquarters Sukhchain Singh Gill, who was addressing his weekly Press Conference here on Monday said that the Police have also recovered Rs 48.95 lakh drug money from the possession of drug smugglers arrested last month. In addition to this, the Police have also arrested 99 Proclaimed offenders and absconders wanted in NDPS cases in the past month, he added.

          Divulging monthly updates on drugs recovery, the IGP said that Police have recovered 30Kg Heroin, 75Kg opium, 69 Kg Ganja, and 185 quintals of poppy husk besides recovering 12.56 lakhs tablets/capsules/injections/vials of Pharma opioids from across the state after carrying out cordon and search operations in drug-affected areas beside laying nakas at vulnerable routes across the state.

          Last week, the police have arrested 453 drug smugglers after registering 329 FIRs and recovered 8.4Kg Heroin, 10Kg opium, 2 Kg Ganja, and 21 quintals of poppy husk besides recovering Rs 10.46 lakhs drug money, he said.

          IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill said that on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the weekly performance of all the police districts is being reviewed and the three topmost districts will be selected on the basis of the recovery of drugs and drug money, cases registered, arrests of drug smugglers and POs/Absconders. The topmost three districts will then be rewarded by the Chief Minister, he said.

          With Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav already given clear instructions to not tolerate any black sheep in the uniform, the IGP said action against six such Police Personnel including one DSP, has already been taken after they were found indulged in malpractices.

          Meanwhile, the DGP has strictly ordered all the CPs/SSPs to further tighten the noose around the drug smugglers by identifying all top drug smugglers and the hotspots infamous for drug smuggling in their jurisdictions and launching a combing operation to nab all those selling/smuggling drugs. He also directed the Police chiefs to effectively forfeit the property of all the arrested drug smugglers so that their ill-gotten money could be recovered.