Drug cases: Amritsar,Tarn Taran police make 100 arrests in four days, credit public action

Among 94 cases registered in four days in Amritsar and Tarn Taran, police of the two border districts have recovered thousands of medicinal pills, capsules and injections.

After a spate of drug-related deaths reported from across the state in June, people of two border districts, Amritsar and Tarn Taran, have taken a stand against the menace openly, which has paved the way for the police here to catch drug peddlers easily.

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Police of the two districts have registered 94 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act with the arrest of more than 100 peddlers in the four days up to July Friday. Of the 94 cases, 39 have been registered by the Amritsar rural police, while 20 are registered by the commissionerate of the city. Tarn Taran district police have registered 35 cases. In most of the cases, police claim to have recovered huge quantity of medicinal drugs, capsules, pills and injections. However, there are only a few cases in which the police have recovered heroin and smack.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Tarn Taran, Darshan Singh Mann said, “Finally, people have taken a stand to save the youth of Punjab. As we have been receiving secret information from the general public, it has become easier for us to catch smugglers.”

He further said that most of the villages in Tarn Taran district, which is among the worst-affected by drugs, have been organising rallies, functions and social media campaigns against the drug menace. Recently, people of Dhunda village caught two men who had come to sell drugs in their village, he said.

Police have also been organising functions in villages and localities to make people aware. “As we have been getting full support from police administration, it has become easy for us to take a tough stand against peddlers. With the encouragement of Tarn Taran police, around 50 youths of our village have been enrolled in out-patient opioid assisted treatment (OOAT) centers,” said Jagtar Singh, sarpanch of Dhunda village. As per the information, the Tarn Taran SSP visited 20 villages in the week to make people aware against drugs.

Amritsar police commissioner SS Srivastva, Amritsar rural SSP Parampal Singh and other senior officers of the district have been engaged in meetings with chemist associations, people of various localities and panchayats for awareness. SSP Parampal said, “In a week we have admitted 265 addicts to various de-addiction centres. We are organising functions in villages on a daily basis to encourage people to take a stand against drugs.”

He also underlined that their helpline number (98882-00062) is also receiving secret information.

Social activist Harikrishn Arora, however, said, “If the police had acted strongly earlier, lives of around 100 youths could have been saved. After deaths of many youth in Punjab, the police have finally woken up, and are building confidence among people.”

Medicinal drugs new challenge

Among 94 cases registered in four days in Amritsar and Tarn Taran, police of the two border districts have recovered thousands of medicinal pills, capsules and injections. On Wednesday, Tarn Taran police busted a gang involved in smuggling prescription medicines with the arrest of three members of a family. Police said they recovered 5,430 medicines, 600 injections and 59 vials (without label) from them. After their arrest, the SSP termed the recent deaths of young men in Tarn Taran as being linked to the injection of “fake heroin”. He said drug peddlers had been using medicinal drugs to make fake heroin, which is very dangerous, and when addicts inject it, it causes immediate death.