Punjab Police arrest 20,979 drug smugglers since July 2022, seize massive drug hauls, says IGP Sukhchain Gill
handigarh, October 9: The Punjab Police have arrested as many as 20,979 drug smugglers, including 3003 big fish, since July 5, 2022. A total of 15,434 FIRs have been registered, and of these, 1,864 are related to commercial quantity.
Addressing mediapersons on Monday, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Headquarters Sukhchain Singh Gill said police teams had recovered 1510.55 kg of heroin from across the state after carrying out cordon and search operations in drug-affected areas, besides laying nakas at vulnerable routes across the state.
At least 147.5 kg of heroin was recovered by teams of the Punjab Police from seaports of Gujarat and Maharashtra, taking the total effective recovery of heroin to 1,658.05 kg in just 15 months, he added.
The Punjab IGP said the police also recovered 924.29 kg of opium, 986.06 kg of ganja, 470.91 quintals of poppy husk and 92.03 lakhs tablets/capsules/injections/vials of pharma opioids from across the state. An amount of Rs 15.81 crore (drug money) was also recovered from the possession of drug smugglers arrested in the past 15 months.
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He said the Punjab Police had also forfeited properties of 111 big smugglers worth Rs 88.3 crore in these 15 months. Jalandhar Rural remains on top by forfeiting properties worth Rs 40.3 crore, followed by, Tarn Taran, where properties worth Rs 12.06 crore were confiscated. In Ferozepur, properties worth Rs 6.16 crore were seized.
Giving a weekly update, IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill said in the last one week, the police had arrested 260 drug smugglers and suppliers after registering 185 FIRs, including 21 commercial; and recovered 15.82 kg of heroin, 6.13 kg of opium, 6.38 quintals of poppy husk and 43,388 tablets/capsules/injections/vials of pharma opioids, besides recovering Rs 4.11 lakh drug money from their possession.
He said with 13 more proclaimed offenders (POs)/absconders in NDPS cases arrested in the last one week, the total number of arrests reached 1,111 since the special drive to arrest POs/absconders was started on July 5, 2022.
The official data revealed that the Punjab Police have busted 31 terror modules with the arrest of 197 terrorists/radicals and recovered 32 rifles, 222 revolvers/pistols, nine tiffin-improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 10.86Kg RDX and other explosives, 11 hand grenades, two sleeves of disposed rocket launcher, 73 drones, and one loaded rocket propelled grenade from their possession.
Similarly, the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), since its formation on April 6, 2022, has succeeded in busting 249 gangster/criminal modules after arresting 800 gangsters/criminals and neutralising six, after recovering 839 weapons, 171 vehicles used in criminal activities.
- With inputs from our correspondent
