Punjab Police launches 'OPS Seal-XVII' to tackle drug trafficking

Amidst the ongoing anti-drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state, Punjab Police on Sunday carried out a special operation ‘OPS Seal-XVII’ aimed at checking all the vehicles entering or exiting the border state of Punjab to keep tab at drug trafficking and liquor smuggling.

During the operation, conducted from 6 am to 2 pm simultaneously in all the districts on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav, all the SSPs of Border districts were directed to organise joint Naka operations at strategic places of the border districts and mobilise a maximum number of manpower to lay strong ‘nakas’ at sealing points under the supervision of Gazetted officers/SHOs.

Sharing details, Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla said that well-coordinated strong nakas involving over 700 Police Personnel were set up under the supervision of Inspectors/DSPs at least 92 entry/exit points of 10 districts, which share boundaries with four border states and UT Chandigarh. The 10 inter-state border districts include Pathankot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, Rupanagar, SAS Nagar, Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa, Hoshiarpur and Bathinda.

He said that as many as 2380 vehicles entering/exiting the state were checked, of which 208 were challaned and three were impounded during the operation. Police teams have also registered 9 FIRs and arrested 10 persons during the operation.

Apart from this, Police teams have continued its cordon and search operation (CASO) against drugs on Day 141, and conducted raids at 401 locations on Sunday leading to the arrest of 110 drug smugglers after registration of 75 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 22,764 within 141 days.

The Special DGP said that the raids have resulted in recovery of 1.4 kg heroin and 15 kg poppy husk from the possession of arrested drug smugglers.

He informed that over 180 Police teams, comprising over 1300 police personnel, under the supervision of 87 gazetted officers have conducted raids across the state and checked as many as 438 suspicious persons during the day long operation.

He said that Punjab Police has devised a comprehensive strategy and such operations will be continued till the scourge of drugs eradicated from the state.

The Special DGP said that with the state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy— Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention (EDP)— to eradicate drugs from the state, the Punjab Police as part of ‘De-addiction’ has convinced 57 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment today.