Punjab Police arrest 98 drug smugglers in statewide raids on 172nd day of 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' campaign

Chandigarh [India], August 20 (ANI): Punjab Police on Wednesday carried out coordinated raids at 323 locations across the state under its ongoing campaign 'Yudh Nashian Virudh', now in its 172nd consecutive day.
The crackdown led to the arrest of 98 drug smugglers and registration of 63 FIRs, taking the total number of smugglers arrested under the drive to 26,654 since its launch.
According to officials, the latest raids resulted in the recovery of 954 grams of heroin, 81 kilograms of poppy husk, 497 intoxicant tablets/capsules, and Rs 5,770 in cash from the accused.
The operations were conducted under the directions of Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav in all 28 police districts of the state. Over 120 police teams, comprising more than 1,000 personnel and supervised by 66 gazetted officers, participated in the statewide action. In addition to the arrests, police also checked 327 suspicious individuals during the day-long drive.
The anti-drug campaign has been spearheaded by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, who has instructed Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners, and Senior Superintendents of Police to work relentlessly towards making Punjab a drug-free state. To monitor progress, the state government has also constituted a five-member Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.
Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said the campaign is being executed through a three-pronged strategy of Enforcement, De-addiction, and Prevention (EDP). As part of the 'De-addiction' initiative, police teams on Wednesday persuaded 56 persons to undergo treatment and rehabilitation voluntarily.
Officials maintained that the police force will continue its sustained efforts until the drug menace is eradicated from the state. (ANI)