Forty-eight people were arrested and nearly 2 kg heroin was seized during a state-wide operation in Punjab on Monday, police said. The operation was conducted from 8 am to 2 pm across the state and senior officers were deputed in districts to supervise it, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said. He said that 202 FIRs were registered after arresting 48 people, besides police apprehending 21 proclaimed offenders.
Police seized 1.9 kg heroin, Rs 6.80 lakh, 1.1 kg opium, 87.5 kg poppy husk, 10,125 intoxicant tablets, 18 injections and 885 litres of illicit liquor, Special DGP Arpit Shukla said. Officers were told to plan this operation in a meticulous manner by identifying drug hotspots -- points of sale of drugs and psychotropic substances in districts or certain areas that have become safe haven for drug peddlers, he said.
Shukla said the Punjab government is using a three-pronged strategy to eradicate drugs from the state and it is "enforcement, prevention and rehabilitation". The Punjab Police is leaving no stone unturned to make the state free from drugs, he said.
"These kinds of operations at a mass-scale level not only help in infusing fear among anti-social elements but also boost public confidence and increase the presence of the cops in the field," Shukla said. The Special DGP said that over 600 police teams, comprising more than 9,000 personnel, cordoned off as many as 268 drug hotspots and as many as 5,505 suspicious people were frisked.
(With inputs from PTI)
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