Punjab registers 95,000 drug cases, arrests 1.27 lakh since 2022, says DGP

Punjab Police has registered more than 95,000 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act since March 16, 2022, arresting over 1.27 lakh people and recovering more than 7,260 kg of heroin, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Wednesday.

Highlighting the state's intensified crackdown on drug trafficking, Yadav said properties worth Rs 902 crore belonging to drug traffickers had been frozen, which he described as the highest forfeiture figure in the country.

He also claimed that Punjab Police had achieved a conviction rate of 90 per cent in drug-related cases, reflecting the effectiveness of investigations and prosecution.

The DGP was speaking on the sidelines of a Police Commemoration Day ceremony at the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) Headquarters in Jalandhar, where tributes were paid to personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty.

𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀

Yadav said sustained anti-gangster operations launched in April 2022 had resulted in the dismantling of as many as 1,288 organised criminal modules across Punjab.

More than 3,300 gang members have been arrested during these operations, he said, adding that the police remained focused on disrupting organised criminal networks and their financial operations.

The DGP said the strategy against narcotics trafficking had increasingly shifted towards targeting the economic foundations of the illegal trade, including the identification and freezing of assets linked to traffickers.

He maintained that sustained enforcement action, financial investigations and prosecution were central to the state's efforts to dismantle drug supply networks.

𝟲𝟬-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗴𝘀

Outlining the next phase of the ongoing Yudh Nashian Virudh campaign, Yadav said the initiative had entered an intensive 60-day mission mode.

Under the revised strategy, identified drug hotspots are being monitored round-the-clock by senior police officers in coordination with gazetted officers from the civil administration.

The joint monitoring mechanism is intended to strengthen enforcement in vulnerable areas and improve coordination between police and district authorities.

Yadav said future operations would place greater emphasis on dismantling financial networks supporting drug trafficking, identifying supply chains and maintaining sustained surveillance in affected localities.

The DGP also outlined plans to modernise police infrastructure through investments exceeding Rs 1,600 crore and strengthen cybersecurity capabilities to tackle organised criminal syndicates.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆

The Punjab Police chief also raised concerns over the unauthorised supply of pharmaceutical drugs into the state from other parts of the country.

He said the issue had been taken up with Directors General of Police of the states concerned to facilitate coordinated action against the illegal movement of such substances.

According to Yadav, cooperation between state police forces would be essential to curb the supply of banned pharmaceutical drugs and disrupt networks operating across state boundaries.

𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹

Earlier, Yadav led the commemoration ceremony and laid floral wreaths at the Police Martyrs' Memorial at the PAP Headquarters.

He was accompanied by Special DGP (Law and Order) Praveen Kumar Sinha and Additional Director General of Police (PAP) M F Farooqui.

Police Commemoration Day is observed annually on October 21 in memory of 10 Central Reserve Police Force personnel killed in an ambush by Chinese troops in the Hot Springs area of Ladakh in 1959.

Describing Punjab Police as a force that had served the nation through war, peace and periods of proxy conflict, Yadav recalled the sacrifices made by its personnel over the decades.

He said 1,804 Punjab Police personnel had laid down their lives in the line of duty since September 1981, underscoring the force's contribution to maintaining security and public order.