Punjab Police on Thursday arrested 84 alleged drug smugglers and recovered 2.5kg heroin, 86kg poppy husk and ₹70,400 drug money, officials said, adding that this took number of arrests in 41 days of state’s ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ to 5,621.
Special director general of police (DGP law and order) Arpit Shukla said over 200 teams comprising more than 1,200 police personnel conducted raids at 452 locations across the state under the supervision of 86 gazetted officers.
He added that 49 first-information reports (FIRs) were registered across the state and 482 ‘suspicious’ persons were checked.
Amritsar heroin haul will be probed ‘in-depth’: Cheema
Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday said that an in-depth investigation will be conducted in the arrest of eight persons, including an official from the directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI), and recovery of 4 kg heroin in Amritsar, to identify the head of the gang.
Addressing a press conference, Cheema, who also heads the cabinet sub-committee on ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’, expressed concern over the involvement of an enforcement officer from another state in the drug trade in Punjab.
DRI inspector Manjit, who hails from Haryana’s Rohtak, was among those arrested over the drug haul in Amritsar.
{{/usCountry}}DRI inspector Manjit, who hails from Haryana’s Rohtak, was among those arrested over the drug haul in Amritsar.
{{/usCountry}}Cheema said 3,279 cases were registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and 5,537 individuals arrested in past 41 days (excluding Thursday).
Cheema accused the previous Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition and the Congress governments of ‘failing’ to address the drug crisis. “Despite promises by then chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to eradicate drugs within four weeks, the problem persisted. In contrast, the AAP government has been working tirelessly for the past three years to combat the menace,” he added.