Punjab’s resolute war against drugs under the “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign intensified on Sunday with the arrest of 114 drug smugglers, the seizure of over 4 kg of heroin, and the recovery of nearly ₹10 lakh in drug proceeds in a single-day statewide crackdown. The operation, marking 120 days since Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann launched the campaign, reflects the state’s determined effort to dismantle drug networks while simultaneously pushing prevention and de-addiction measures across Punjab.
Coordinated Statewide Raids
The Punjab Police, under the directive of Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, executed the operation across all 28 police districts simultaneously. Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla confirmed that over 180 police teams comprising more than 1,100 personnel, supervised by 85 gazetted officers, raided 367 targeted locations in the state. These intensive operations led to the registration of 77 first information reports (FIRs) and checks on 399 suspicious individuals during the coordinated crackdown.
The campaign’s latest drive, part of a sustained crackdown under the “Yudh Nashian Virudh” initiative, has brought the total number of drug smugglers apprehended under the campaign to an unprecedented 19,735 since its launch. This ongoing operation also yielded 4.1 kg of heroin, further demonstrating the extent of the drug trade the police are seeking to dismantle in the state.
Push for Rehabilitation Alongside Enforcement
Under the campaign’s three-pronged Enforcement, De-addiction, and Prevention (EDP) strategy, the Punjab Police are not limiting their efforts to arrests alone. In addition to enforcement operations, officers actively persuaded 54 individuals to enter de-addiction and rehabilitation programs to break the cycle of addiction within communities.
The campaign has placed equal emphasis on prevention and systemic checks to curb the supply of illegal substances. As part of this parallel strategy, the police inspected 332 pharmaceutical shops across six districts—Commissionerate Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, SBS Nagar, Jalandhar Rural, Kapurthala, and Rupnagar—to ensure compliance with drug sale regulations and to prevent the misuse of pharmaceutical drugs for addiction purposes.
This consistent enforcement and outreach by Punjab Police reflects the administration’s focused approach to addressing the drug menace in the state by dismantling supply chains, supporting victims of addiction, and closely monitoring pharmaceutical networks for any violations. The operation underlines Punjab’s determination to cleanse its localities of drug networks while working to build a safer environment for its citizens through persistent law enforcement and preventive measures.
