Chandigarh, September 13 (Daily Kiran) : The Punjab Police announced on September 13 that their multi-layered strategy, in collaboration with the Border Security Force (BSF), has successfully reduced heroin availability in the state. This initiative targets drug trafficking via drones from across the international border with Pakistan.
To monitor and neutralize drone activities, the police have deployed nine anti-drone systems, including three ‘Baz Aankh’ systems, operational since August 2025 in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and Firozpur. These systems are designed to identify and jam suspicious drones at an early stage.
Additionally, three units of the Drone Sense D200 Pro were strategically placed in border districts on September 3. This mobile drone detection platform enhances the identification of drone-related activities and the precise locations where drugs are dropped, enabling swift ground action.
For rapid response, 52 Drone Response Teams (DRTs) comprising 147 police personnel have been established. These teams work closely with the BSF, conducting searches at suspected drop-off locations after receiving drone alerts, and apprehending individuals arriving to collect dropped drug shipments.
The police spokesperson highlighted that this initiative is bolstered by 64 second-line defense posts manned by 600 police officers and 2,367 CCTV cameras installed at 585 locations.
Village Defense Committees (VDCs) in border areas have also been integrated with the DRTs, acting as the “eyes and ears” for the police by reporting suspicious activities.
Since the launch of the Punjab Police’s ‘War Against Drugs’ campaign on March 1, 2025, approximately 80,000 individuals have been arrested, and a total of 486 drones have been seized.
In addition to these efforts, financial investigations have intensified to disrupt the economic backbone of drug networks, resulting in assets worth over ₹336 crore being frozen.
To encourage drone recoveries, a reward policy has been implemented, offering ₹25,000 for each drone seized. This year alone, nearly ₹2 crore has been distributed under this scheme. However, the police have identified a new challenge: pharmaceutical drugs smuggled into Punjab from other states, which now pose the biggest threat.
Analysis of seized pharmaceutical drugs indicates that most are not produced in Punjab but are manufactured in states such as Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.
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