Punjab Police Raids Bus Stands, Jails in Statewide Anti-Drug Operation
Houses of Two Drug Smugglers Demolished in Gurdaspur; 124 Smugglers Held on Day 75 of ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, May 15, 2025
As part of the ongoing anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’, Punjab Police on Thursday carried out an extensive cordon and search operation (CASO) at major bus stands across all 28 police districts in the state. The campaign, launched under the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, entered its 75th day today.
The operation was held on the instructions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav and was personally monitored by Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla.
Shukla said all Commissioners of Police and Senior Superintendents of Police were directed to ensure heavy deployment of personnel, with operations supervised by SP-rank officers. Over 481 suspicious individuals were checked during the day-long operation across public transport hubs.
Continuing their crackdown on narcotics, Punjab Police teams raided 486 locations on Thursday, resulting in the arrest of 124 drug smugglers and the registration of 83 FIRs. The police recovered 4.02 kg of heroin, 2.5 kg of opium, and ₹27,090 in drug money during these operations.
Since the launch of the campaign, police have arrested 11,208 drug smugglers across the state.
In a significant action in Gurdaspur district, the illegally constructed houses of two notorious drug smugglers—Baljinder and Lakhwinder—were demolished using a bulldozer. Both had built structures on Water Resources Department land in village Dida Sansian. According to SSP Gurdaspur Aaditya, Baljinder has 10 FIRs registered under the NDPS and Excise Acts, while Lakhwinder faces 12 FIRs for similar offences.
As part of the drive’s enforcement and prevention strategy, over 200 police teams involving 1,200+ personnel and 87 gazetted officers were mobilized statewide.
Special DGP Arpit Shukla said Punjab Police remains committed to the government’s three-pronged strategy—Enforcement, De-addiction, and Prevention (EDP)—to eliminate drugs from the state. He added that under the De-addiction initiative, 116 drug users were motivated and referred to rehabilitation centres for treatment.
Meanwhile, simultaneous search operations were also carried out in jails across six districts—Jalandhar Commissionerate, Hoshiarpur, SBS Nagar, Jalandhar Rural, Kapurthala, and Rupnagar—to crack down on any illegal activity behind bars. Teams thoroughly inspected jail barracks, kitchens, toilets, and other areas.
“These operations will continue with full force until we wipe out the drug menace from Punjab,” said Special DGP Shukla.