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Punjab police nab 45 POs, absconders in past one week
IG Headquarters Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill said that so far, a total of 186 POs/absconders have been arrested in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, including 46 nabbed from out of state, since July 1
As many as 45 proclaimed offenders (PO)/absconders have been arrested by the Punjab police in the past one week, with some evading arrest since the 1980s, a senior police official said on Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference here, IG Headquarters Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill said that so far, a total of 186 POs/absconders have been arrested in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, including 46 nabbed from out of state, since July 1.
Gill said that these POs/absconders have been evading arrest since the 1980s and 1990s.
He said that Gurdeep Singh alias Kaku of Kotla Hoshiarpur, who was declared a PO in November 1985, has been arrested by the Ludhiana commissionerate police, Amarjit Singh, a PO from 1988 has been arrested by Fatehgarh Sahib Police and Mohinder Singh of village Dabalkheri in Haryana, who was declared PO in 1989, has been arrested by Sangrur Police.
At least three nabbed POs have been evading arrest since the 1990s, he added.
The IG said the Punjab police have arrested 335 drug smugglers/suppliers after registering 251 first information reports (FIRs), including 22 commercial, under the NDPS Act across the state in the last one week.
The police have also recovered 9.76kg heroin, 8.68kg opium, 11.56kg ganja, nine quintals of poppy husk, and 49k tablets/capsules/injections/vials of pharma opioids besides recovering ₹ 40.50 lakh drug money after carrying out cordon and search operations in drug-affected areas besides laying nakas at vulnerable routes across the state, he said.
Gill said that the Punjab police besides tightening the noose around the drug smugglers/suppliers has also been making all possible efforts to keep youth away from drugs and helping to rehabilitate those who have fallen prey to this menace.
He said that all the CPs/SSPs have been conducting different activities including public meetings, visiting drug-affected villages, conducting seminars, holding joint meetings with MLAs, sarpanches, and councillors besides involving NGOs and youth clubs to sensitise the youth about the harmful effects of drugs. ENDS
