Punjab Police executed OPS Seal-XXIII, inspecting 1,182 vehicles, arresting smugglers and seizing drugs as part of CM Bhagwant Mann’s safety strategy.

Amid the continuous efforts to establish Punjab as a safe and secure state in accordance with the directives of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Police conducted a special operation, ‘OPS Seal-XXIII’, on Tuesday. This operation was focused on inspecting all vehicles entering or leaving the border state of Punjab to monitor and curb anti-social elements, drug traffickers, and bootleggers.

During the operation, conducted concurrently across all districts under the guidance of DGP Punjab Gaurav Yadav, all SSPs of border districts were instructed to coordinate joint Naka operations at strategic locations within their respective jurisdictions. They were also directed to mobilize maximum personnel to establish robust ‘nakas’ at key sealing points, under the supervision of Gazetted officers and SHOs.

Sharing details, Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla stated that well-coordinated and robust nakas, involving over 600 police personnel, were established under the supervision of Inspectors and DSPs at a minimum of 65 entry and exit points across 10 districts. These districts share boundaries with four border states and UT Chandigarh. The ten inter-state border districts comprise Pathankot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, Rupanagar, SAS Nagar, Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa, Hoshiarpur, and Bathinda.

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He stated that during the operation, a total of 1,182 vehicles entering or exiting the state were inspected, of which 234 were issued challans and two were impounded. Police squads have also filed five FIRs and apprehended three individuals during the operation.

In addition, police teams have maintained their cordon and search operations (CASO) against drug-related activities on Day 283, conducting investigations at 346 locations on Tuesday. These efforts resulted in the arrest of 95 drug smugglers following the registration of 68 First Information Reports (FIRs) across the state. As a result, the total number of drug traffickers apprehended has risen to 39,864 over the course of 283 days.

The Special DGP stated that the investigations led to the recovery of 1.5 kg of heroin, 429 grams of opium, 6 kg of ganja, 21 kg of poppy husk, and Rs 2.95 lakhs in drug proceeds from the possession of the apprehended drug traffickers.He reported that more than 120 police squads, totaling over 1,000 personnel and led by 70 gazetted officers, carried out raids throughout the state and apprehended up to 340 individuals under suspicion during the day-long operation.

The Special DGP stated that, with the state government implementing a three-pronged strategy—Enforcement, De-addiction, and Prevention (EDP)—to eliminate drugs from the state, the Punjab Police, as part of the ‘De-addiction’ initiative, successfully persuaded 40 individuals to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment today.