CHANDIGARH: A day after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann set a three-month deadline to make the state drug-free, Punjab Police arrested 290 drug smugglers and registered 232 FIRs in a massive state-level Cordon and Search Operation (CASO). The operation targeted 369 identified drug hotspots, with 798 raids conducted across all 28 police districts.Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said the four-hour-long operation led to the seizure of 8.14 kg heroin, 1.21 kg opium, 3.5 kg ganja, 19 kg poppy husk, 700 grams charas, 16,238 intoxicant tablets, and Rs 8.02 lakh in drug money. Over 900 police teams, comprising 8,368 personnel, participated in the operation. Five proclaimed offenders were also arrested. Yadav, who was personally monitoring the state-level operation, said the CASO was conducted simultaneously in all the 28 districts from 9 am to 1 pm.He said the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, has devised a 360-degree action plan to make the state drug-free while rehabilitating drug users. Police officers have been directed to trace the forward and backward linkages of all NDPS Act cases and take strict action against those colluding with drug smugglers.Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said CPs and SSPs were instructed to meticulously plan the operation and conduct raids in areas sheltering drug peddlers. He added that Punjab Police has adopted a comprehensive strategy and will continue such operations until the drug menace is eradicated.
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