Chandigarh, September 14 (Daily Kiran) : Punjab’s Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced significant achievements in the state’s anti-drug campaign, “Yudh Nashe Ke Virudh,” during a press conference held on September 14. Since the campaign’s inception, Punjab Police have registered 60,582 FIRs and arrested 79,784 drug traffickers, including 708 major traffickers involved in 354 large-scale cases. Each of these cases involved the seizure of over two kilograms of heroin.
Police Chief Gaurav Yadav detailed the campaign’s successes, highlighting the recovery of a record amount of drugs, which includes 3,803 kilograms of heroin, 976 kilograms of opium, 46 tons of poppy husk, 1,325 kilograms of marijuana, and 7.8 million narcotic capsules and tablets. Notably, Punjab accounts for approximately 60% of the heroin seized in India.
Yadav emphasized the impact of professional and scientific investigations led by the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), which have increased the conviction rate in Punjab to 89%, setting a national benchmark. Since March 1, 2025, the courts have resolved 13,430 NDPS cases, with 11,981 resulting in convictions.
The ANTF’s methodologies have received national recognition. Recently, ADGP Neelabh Kishore shared insights with Indian Police Service (IPS) officers at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad on combating drug trafficking and enhancing conviction rates through professional investigations.
Under Section 68-F of the NDPS Act, authorities have seized assets worth ₹366 crores across 914 approved cases. Additionally, police apprehended 102 hawala operators and recovered ₹11 crores in hawala funds. Punjab was the first state to implement the “Punjab Artificial Intelligence System” (PAIS), which has led to the identification of ₹4.60 crores and the arrest of 400,000 suspects.
The Chief Minister’s reward policy has incentivized 2,362 citizens and police personnel, who provided valuable information and facilitated recoveries via drone interceptions, with a total of ₹3.33 crores in rewards. Yadav also reported on counter-terrorism efforts, noting that the Counter Intelligence Wing has dismantled 92 terror modules and arrested 686 terrorists since March 16, 2022.
The Counter Intelligence Wing has seized 54 rifles, 599 handguns, 38 tiffin IEDs, 28.887 kilograms of RDX, 131 hand grenades, and three RPGs. They intercepted 952 out of 1,493 drones observed. Since September 2024, 43 terrorist attacks have been reported, all resolved swiftly, with nine claims deemed false or fabricated. The team has successfully neutralized 53 terror modules, preventing major attacks.
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