51k arrests, 2.2k kg heroin seized: Punjab’s ‘war against drugs’ marks 1 year

Chandigarh: In its one year of ‘Yudh Nasheyan Virudh' (War Against Drugs) campaign launched on March 1 last year, Punjab Police averaged 141 arrests and nearly 100 cases daily. Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann announced on X on Monday that the zero-tolerance policy has resulted in the arrest of 51,648 drug smugglers and the registration of 36,178 FIRs. Law enforcement recovered a record 2,277 kg of heroin and drug money of 16.7 crore during this period. Posting the data, CM Mann wrote, "The results of our zero-tolerance policy are for everyone to see and that our fight to save Punjab's youth will continue." Community participation was a cornerstone of the drive, with 34,588 tips received via the ‘Safe Punjab WhatsApp Chatbot' leading to 13,893 FIRs and 18,009 arrests. Alongside enforcement, the state conducted 55,666 awareness programmes. According to an official from the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), the crackdown caused a major supply disruption, evidenced by a "50% rise in heroin prices and a 40% rise in synthetic drug prices". Other major seizures during the year included 36 kg of ICE, four kg of cocaine, 686 kg of opium, 29.3 tonnes of poppy husk, and 49 lakh psychotropic tablets. The legal process was also strengthened, resulting in an 89% conviction rate in NDPS Act cases. Out of 6,822 decided cases, 6,083 led to convictions, a success based on improved forensics, financial tracking, and better investigator training, the ANTF said. Law enforcement also arrested 65 hawala operators and identified 241 crore worth of properties belonging to 569 smugglers. Of these, properties worth 233 crore belonging to 544 smugglers have already been frozen. On the rehabilitation front, 8,324 people were diverted to treatment under Section 64-A of the NDPS Act, while 29,540 were admitted to de-addiction centres and 82,854 were referred to Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centres. While Punjab jails have a sanctioned capacity of 26,081, the inmate population peaked at 38,000 during the drive and currently stands at 35,000, said a functionary of the prisons department. The official described the population as "floating", with those in small-quantity cases often securing bail within one to three months. To address overcrowding, new jail buildings are under construction to increase capacity by more than 5,000 in the near future. MSID:: 128948616 413 |