286 vehicles fined, 9 impounded during statewide drive

The cordon and search operation against drugs continued on the 161st day during which raids were conducted at 403 locations on Saturday, leading to the arrest of 87 drug smugglers

As many as 286 vehicles were challaned and nine were impounded during a special operation — OPS Seal-XVIII — across the state on Saturday, officials said. The drive, aimed at checking the vehicles entering or exiting the state to keep vigil around anti-social elements, drug traffickers and bootleggers, saw 2,464 vehicles being inspected.

The campaign was carried out on the directions of DGP Gaurav Yadav.

During the operation that was conducted from 11 am to 2 pm simultaneously in all the districts on the directions of Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, the SSPs of border districts were directed to hold joint checkpoints at strategic places in their respective districts and mobilise a maximum number of manpower to lay strong ‘nakas’ at sealing points under the supervision of gazetted officers or station house officers.

Sharing details, special DGP (law and order) Arpit Shukla said the nakas involving over 600 police personnel were set up under the supervision of inspectors or DSPs on at least 71 entry/exit points of 10 districts, which share boundaries with four border states and the UT of Chandigarh. The 10 inter-state border districts include Pathankot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, Rupanagar, SAS Nagar, Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa, Hoshiarpur and Bathinda.

Besides, the cordon and search operation (CASO) against drugs continued on the 161st day during which raids were conducted at 403 locations on Saturday, leading to the arrest of 87 drug smugglers after registration of 57 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached 25,264. The special DGP said the raids resulted in recovery of 2.2 kg heroin and 2.1 kg opium.