3 Arrested, 95 Held in Separate Raids
Chandigarh, Dec. 9
In its continuing crackdown on drugs and organized crime, Punjab Police on Tuesday carried out a coordinated state-wide operation, OPS Seal-XXIII, sealing 65 entry and exit points across 10 border districts to monitor the movement of vehicles and suspected traffickers.
The operation, conducted on the directions of Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, involved over 600 police personnel working under the supervision of gazetted officers and station house officers. Joint nakas were set up in districts adjoining Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, including Pathankot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, Rupanagar, SAS Nagar, Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa, Hoshiarpur, and Bathinda.
Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said 1,182 vehicles entering and leaving Punjab were checked during the drive, resulting in 234 challans, two vehicle impoundments, and three arrests following the registration of five FIRs against suspected offenders.
Parallel to OPS Seal-XXIII, police teams continued the state’s day 283 cordon and search operation (CASO) against drug networks, conducting raids at 346 locations and arresting 95 drug smugglers. These raids yielded 1.5 kilograms of heroin, 429 grams of opium, 6 kilograms of ganja, 21 kilograms of poppy husk, and ₹2.95 lakh in drug money, Shukla added.Over 120 police teams comprising more than 1,000 personnel and 70 gazetted officers were deployed for the state-wide raids, which also involved checking 340 suspicious individuals.
The DGP said the state government is pursuing a three-pronged strategy of Enforcement, De-addiction, and Prevention (EDP) to combat the drug menace. As part of the de-addiction campaign, police teams motivated 40 addicts to begin rehabilitation treatment on Tuesday.
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