Punjab Police arrest 75 drug smugglers statewide

Chandigarh: The Punjab Police arrested 75 drug smugglers on Saturday as part of an ongoing effort against drug trafficking. This operation was part of the state government's "Yudh Nashian Virudh" campaign. The police recovered 5.2 kg of heroin, 10 kg of opium, and Rs 2.2 lakh in cash related to drug activities. In the past 22 days, the police have apprehended a total of 2,613 smugglers. This widespread operation was carried out across all 28 police districts in Punjab, following the orders of Punjab's director general of police, Gaurav Yadav. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has urged law enforcement officials to work towards making Punjab a drug-free state. To help in this effort, the government has set up a five-member cabinet sub-committee, led by finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema. Special DGP (law and order) Arpit Shukla reported that over 250 police teams with more than 1,700 officers conducted raids at 536 locations. During the operations, they registered 51 FIRs and checked 601 suspicious individuals. Shukla highlighted the state's three-part strategy of enforcement, de-addiction, and prevention to combat drug issues. As part of the de-addiction program, police convinced four individuals to seek rehabilitation treatment.