Police conduct cordon and search operation at identified drug hotspots across Punjab

Chandigarh, June 16

The Punjab Police on Sunday conducted a massive state-level cordon and search operation at identified drug hotspots and vulnerable areas with a focus on controlling the supply.

The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav from 11 am to 2 pm simultaneously in all districts.

Special DGP Arpit Shukla said the police, in its effort to eradicate the drug menace from the state, have been following a multi-pronged strategy — enforcement, de-addiction and prevention.

“The police have been focusing on controlling drug supply at the point of sale by booking small peddlers while illegally acquired properties of the big fish are being forfeited under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act,” he said.

The second line of defence along the border has also been strengthened to prevent smuggling from across the frontier, he added.

Shukla said a major reshuffle is under way after directions from the DGP on personnel in the ranks of constable to inspector who have been posted at police stations for three or more years.

Officers have categorically been asked to look into forward and backward linkages of all the cases being registered under the NDPS Act and take strict action against those found colluding with drug smugglers, he said.

Smugglers lodged in jails are also being watched, Shukla added.

Following the police’s strenuous efforts to root out the drugs menace from Punjab, heroin recoveries have jumped 5.6 times since 2017, he claimed.

The conviction rate under the NDPS Act has also improved from 59 per cent in 2018 to 81 per cent in 2023, Shukla said.

Sharing details of the operation, Shukla said more than 450 police teams, comprising more than 3,000 personnel, cordoned off 280 drug hotspots.

During the operation, the police registered 140 FIRs after arresting 166 people, he said.