Punjab Police arrested 63 drug smugglers on Sunday after conducting raids at 424 locations across the state, marking the 16th day of the "Yudh Nashian Virudh" (War Against Drugs) campaign launched on February 25, 2025. The operation, directed by DGP Gaurav Yadav, resulted in 45 FIRs and the seizure of 385 grams of heroin, 19 kg of poppy husk, 2,673 intoxicant tablets and injections, and Rs 15,600 in drug money. Over 200 police teams, comprising 1,400 personnel under 98 gazetted officers, executed the statewide crackdown, reflecting Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s three-month deadline to make Punjab drug-free.

Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla outlined the state’s three-pronged strategy—enforcement, de-addiction, and prevention (EDP)—to eradicate the drug menace. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, heading a five-member cabinet sub-committee, hailed the campaign’s success, claiming it has become a “mass movement” with public support. He accused previous SAD-BJP and Congress governments of enabling drug trafficking, contrasting this with AAP’s resolve under Mann. To date, the campaign has logged 1,572 FIRs, 2,364 arrests, and seizures of 90 kg of heroin and 51 kg of opium, alongside demolishing properties of 33 traffickers worth crores.

Rehabilitation efforts are also underway, with hundreds admitted to de-addiction centers. Cheema highlighted cross-border collaboration with Himachal Pradesh Police, disrupting key smuggling routes. Meanwhile, jail searches in six districts—Amritsar Commissionerate, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Batala, Amritsar Rural, and Tarn Taran—targeted illegal activities, with Shukla confirming thorough inspections. In Ferozepur, authorities demolished an illegal house of absconding peddler Gurcharan Singh, built on encroached Forest Department land, underscoring the campaign’s aggressive stance against drug-related assets.