In a bid to make Punjab, which has been plagued with the menace of narcotics — a drug-free State, the Punjab Police on Wednesday launched a State-wide operation ‘OPS Clean’.
The objective of the operation is to keep a tab on the activities of persons who are involved in the smuggling of commercial quantities of drugs.
Arpit Shukla, Special DGP (Law and Order) said that places and houses linked with the drug smugglers and peddlers were raided simultaneously during this operation.
“As many as 650 police teams, involving over 5,500 police personnel raided 2,247 locations and conducted searches at 2,125 houses of persons having involvement in drug smuggling cases,” he said.
The police teams recovered 1.8 kg heroin, 82 kg poppy husk, 1 kg opium, ₹5.35 lakh drug-related money, and four weapons, besides recovering illicit liquor. The police also found lahan (raw material used to make liquor), and vehicles, following the registration of 48 First Information Reports (FIRs) across the State. Police teams have also seized 78 mobile phones, which will be sent for forensic examination, he said.
He said all the senior police officials were asked to personally monitor the operation and make a sufficient number of police teams under the supervision of gazetted rank officers so that they could carry out raids in a synchronised manner.
“The intent to carry out this operation was to keep a check on the influx of drugs from across the inter-state borders, besides, keeping a tab on drugs smugglers. Such raids would continue further,” he added.
“The intent to carry out this operation was to keep a check on the influx of drugs from across the inter-state borders, besides, keeping a tab on drugs smugglers”Arpit Shukla Special DGP (Law and Order)