6 peddlers arrested under special operation: Ludhiana police
In the recent operation, apart from the six arrests, the police also found that eight peddlers had shifted to other districts; efforts are also underway to freeze and seize the properties of identified peddlers and smugglers, say police
Six “drug peddlers” were arrested during a special drive that was taken up based on intelligence inputs in Haibowal and Jawahar Nagar, the police said on Saturday. Police commissioner Swapan Sharma said the action marked a shift from the traditional cordon-and-search operation (CASO) as the Ludhiana police adopted a new “surgical strike” approach to target drug peddlers and smugglers by acting on specific intelligence inputs.
During the operation, drugs were also seized, the police said without disclosing about the seized items. “Earlier, large police teams spent hours searching entire neighborhoods with little to show for it, as peddlers would often change their numbers, addresses and tactics. Now, we are shifting to a more surgical model. Our operations will be intelligence-driven, based on a verified list of suspects compiled from FIR records and public inputs.”
Explaining the strategy, the commissioner of police said, “Each special cell officer will be assigned to a specific peddler or smuggler to monitor their movements, contacts and daily routine for four to five days. Action will then be taken discreetly. Importantly, the assignment will be confidential — no information will be shared even among fellow officers, addressing concerns about tip-offs before raids.”
Such operations will be conducted every 10 days, targeting 25 to 50 suspects in one go, and will typically be executed between 4 am and 7 am.
In the recent operation, apart from the six arrests, the police also found that eight peddlers had shifted to other districts. Meanwhile, efforts are also underway to freeze and seize the properties of identified peddlers and smugglers.
Sharma further added that over the past 12 days, city police have helped admit 12 drug addicts into de-addiction centres as part of the anti-drug campaign — Yudh Nasheya Virudh (war against drugs).