48 peddlers held, 202 FIRs lodged, 1.9 kg heroin seized in search ops
Chandigarh, January 8
The Punjab Police today registered 202 FIRs and arrested 48 drug peddlers and 21 proclaimed offenders (POs) in a statewide cordon and search operation.
Crackdown boosts public confidence
These kind of cordon and search operations on a massive scale not only help in infusing fear among anti-social elements but also boost public confidence and increase the presence of cops in the field. Arpit Shukla, SPL DGP
The operation was conducted on the directions of DGP Gaurav Yadav from 8 am to 2 pm simultaneously across the state, said Special DGP Arpit Shukla. The main focus of the police was on identifying drug hotspots and vulnerable areas in all 28 police districts of the state.
He said the Commissioners of Police and the SSPs were told to plan this operation in a meticulous manner by identifying drug hotspots.
Shukla led the operation in Fatehgarh Sahib and was joined by SSP Ravjot Kaur Grewal. He said that the government had enforced a three-pronged strategy — enforcement, prevention and rehabilitation — to eradicate drugs from the state.
He said over 600 police teams, comprising 9,000 cops, had cordoned off 268 drug hotspots and 5,505 suspicious persons were frisked. Shukla said the police seized 1.9 kg heroin, Rs 6.80 lakh drug money, 1.1 kg opium, 87.5 kg poppy husk, 10,125 intoxicant tablets, 18 injections, 885 litres of illicit liquor and 12,350 litres of lahan, besides impounding 16 motorcycles and one car.
