Punjab Police To Identify, Seize Properties Of Big Drug Smugglers

Punjab's Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla on Friday directed the police commissioners and district police chiefs to identify and forfeit properties of big narco smugglers caught with commercial quantities of drugs.

This year as many as 30 properties worth Rs 12.99 crores were seized and forfeited by the Punjab Police, he said.

According to an official statement, Mr Shukla directed CPs/SSPs to identify and forfeit properties of big narco smugglers caught with commercial quantities of drugs.

Mr Shukla also chalked out a foolproof strategy with the Border Security Force (BSF) to completely break the supply chain of drugs and to counter the drone operations, which have emerged as the new modus operandi to smuggle drugs from across the border.

Recently, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had vowed to make Punjab a drug-free state by the next Independence Day.

The Special DGP accompanied by IG Frontier Headquarters, BSF Jalandhar Dr Atul Fulzele was holding a joint coordination-cum-review meeting with senior officials of BSF, Punjab Police, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and other central agencies at Frontier Headquarters of BSF at Jalandhar to further strengthen the security at the state border to prevent the cross border smuggling.

Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Pradeep Yadav, DIG Ferozepur Range Ranjit Singh Dhillon and six DIGs of BSF were among the other senior officials, who attended the meeting, the statement said.

Giving a call for total synergy and teamwork between BSF and Punjab Police, Arpit Shukla said both the elite forces should work as one team and activate good old human intelligence by gathering and sharing real-time information.

He said the chief minister had already sanctioned Rs 20 crore for the installation of CCTV Cameras in the border areas to further strengthen the second line of defence and keep vigil against drug smugglers and anti-social elements.

Additionally, Rs 10 crore are being spent to strengthen the police infrastructure including police stations, he said, while adding that additional police force and vehicles are also being provided to the police deployed near the border.

Notably, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav had already announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh to anyone for providing information on drone movement leading to the recovery of weapons/narcotics.

Arpit Shukla ordered DIG Police, Border Range and DIG Ferozepur Range to direct SSPs of border districts to ensure staying overnight in the border villages at least once or twice in a month as part of the confidence-building measure. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)