676 drug smugglers arrested in a week: Punjab Police
Darpan News Desk IANS, 11 Jul, 2022 01:41 PM
Chandigarh, July 11 (IANS) Intensifying its war against the drug menace in the state, Punjab Police on Monday said it has arrested 676 drug smugglers and suppliers after registering 559 first FIRs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 in the past one week.
A police spokesperson said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has given Punjab Police a free hand to wage a war against drugs and extensive drives are being launched to combat the menace.
Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav has ordered all Commissioners of Police to strictly adhere to the government's zero-tolerance policy against drugs and keep vigil at "drug hotspots".
The spokesperson said the police have recovered 5.57 kg heroin, 17 kg opium, 25 kg ganja, seven quintals poppy husk, 2.25 lakh intoxicant pills and capsules, etc, after carrying out cordon and search operations in drug-affected areas.
A total of 32 proclaimed offenders and absconders in the NDPS cases have also been arrested in the past week, he added.
He said the police busted a racket of making spurious drugs in Muktsar district. Drug peddlers were making duplicate heroin by mixing powder of 'patasha', a traditional sweet, washing soda, weed-killers and herbicides, both liquid and powder. The manufactured 'heroin', widely known as 'chitta', used to be sold among the poor.
According to officials, the gang has been operating for the past several years and has duped nearly 700 girls across the country, including in Madhya Pradesh and New Delhi.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday announced the services of 35,000 group 'C' and 'D' contractual and outsourcing employees in government departments would be regularised.
As the police began enquiring about the matter, it was found that at the time of incident, the mother was alone at the house with her 3-year-old son and her infant daughter.
Born in Pattamadai, in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, Swami Sivananda has authored 296 books on yoga, Vedanta, and a variety of subjects. His books emphasised the practical application of Yoga philosophy over theoretical knowledge.
"(A total of) 90 evacuation flights were operated under 'Operation Ganga' including 14 Indian Air Force flights," Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Gen V.K. Singh (retd) told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.
Officials said eight passengers of a vehicle were injured when their vehicle was swept away by a snow slide into a gorge along the Sadhna Top in Kupwara district.
