Chandigarh: A day after chief minister Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government launched a drive against drugs, setting a deadline of three months to wipe out drugs from the state, the police on Saturday conducted a state-wide crackdown at identified drug hotspots, leading to the arrest of 290 drug smugglers.
Stating that as many as 232 first information reports (FIRs) were registered, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said that the crackdown also led to the recovery of 8.14 kg heroin, 1.21 kg opium, 3.5 kg ganja, 19 kg poppy husk, 700 grams charas, 16,238 intoxicant tablets/pills and Rs 8.02 lakh drug money.
Special DGP, Law and Order, Arpit Shukla, who joined Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Deepak Pareek at Balongi town in SAS Nagar, said that the CPs/SSPs were told to plan this operation in a meticulous manner in their respective districts and conduct raids at such areas, which have become shelter/safe haven for drug peddlers amid massive deployment of the police force.
The Special DGP said that over 900 police teams, comprising over 8,368 police personnel, under the supervision of 233 gazetted officers, cordoned off as many as 369 drug hotspots and conducted 798 raids in such areas.
He said police also took preventive action against 27 persons, while five proclaimed offenders (POs) have also been arrested during the operation.
Pertinently, recently formed Cabinet sub-committee headed by finance minister Harpal Cheema, to monitor the government’s “war against drugs’’, also held its first meeting on Saturday.
2 HELD WITH 4 KG HEROIN
Meanwhile, in a separate development, the police also claimed to have nabbed two drug smugglers from Amritsar and recovered 4 kg heroin from their possession.
DGP Yadav said that those arrested have been identified as Karanpal Singh and Ranjit Singh, both hailing from border villages of Tarn Taran district, used the Ferozepur sector to transport the drug consignment using drones.
GANGSTER HELD WITH 6 PISTOLS
In another development, the police also claimed to have busted an illegal weapon smuggling module with the arrest of an associate of Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang and recovered six .32 bore pistols along with 10 cartridges from his possession.
DGP Yadav said that the arrested accused has been identified as Gurbaaz Singh, a resident of village Warring Suba Singh in Tarn Taran. The latter has also been facing at least eight criminal cases pertaining to attempt to murder, snatching, NDPS act, and violations of the Arms Act, he added.
