Ludhiana, 5 April 2025 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau): The Ludhiana police commissionerate has arrested 171 drug peddlers and registered 117 FIRs against them in the past month as part of the anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nasheyan Virudh’, revealed special director general of police (DGP) community affairs division and women affairs, Punjab, Gurpreet Kaur Deo. She was in the city on Friday to review the progress of the campaign.
However, when questioned about action against the masterminds behind the drug trade, Deo acknowledged that major smugglers are yet to be arrested. She assured that police officials have been instructed to probe the backward linkages of the arrested peddlers to track down and apprehend the key players running the drug network.
Providing details of the campaign, which started on March 1, special DGP Deo shared that the Ludhiana police had recovered a substantial quantity of drugs, including 4.3kg of heroin, 5.8kg of opium, 55.8kg of poppy husk, 1.9kg of charas, 11.6kg of cannabis, 23gm of cocaine, and 5,330 intoxicating pills over the past month.
She further revealed that 200 drug smugglers linked to Ludhiana had been identified by the Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) and local intelligence agencies. Out of these, 100 have already been arrested, while efforts are underway to nab the remaining 100.
“The big fish of drug trade operate behind the scenes, using peddlers as their intermediaries. The first step is to arrest these peddlers, and through them, we aim to trace the bigger networks. The police are actively working on investigating these links to break the chain of drug supply.” she said.
In addition to arrests, the Ludhiana police also froze illegally occupied properties worth ₹2.8 crore belonging to drug peddlers under Section 68-F of the NDPS Act in March. The campaign is not only targeting drug suppliers but also working towards reducing drug demand. In the past month, all 28 police stations in Ludhiana commissionerate held 268 ‘Sampark’ meetings with locals and conducted 235 drug awareness seminars in educational institutions. Furthermore, police carried out nine cordon and search operations (CASO) at drug hotspots in Ludhiana.
Deo also noted that as a result of the crackdown, government de-addiction centres in Ludhiana are now at full capacity. The health department is increasing staff and bed availability at these centres to accommodate the rising number of addicts seeking help. Additionally, in collaboration with drug inspectors, raids are being conducted to check pharmacies for illegal sales of pharmaceutical drugs.
“As schools reopen after exams, the police plan to intensify awareness campaigns, ensuring that both enforcement and prevention efforts continue in full force,”she added.
Summary: Ludhiana police arrest 171 drug peddlers in one month, seizing large quantities of drugs and freezing ₹2.8 crore worth of properties.