Bhagwant Mann: Punjab’s sustained battle against narcotics notched a fresh success as police marked Day 499 of the state’s anti-drug campaign, ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh.’ Teams led by the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) and district police arrested about 126 alleged drug smugglers during coordinated raids conducted across the state, recovering a mixed haul of heroin, opium and intoxicant pills that officials say points to both street-level dealing and larger supply networks.
What Was Recovered during 499th day
The latest operation yielded a significant seizure, underlining the scale of narcotics still moving through Punjab despite months of enforcement pressure:
- 621 grams of heroin
- 190 intoxicant pills
- Rs 1600 in suspected drug money
Officials said the mix of substances recovered, spanning both heroin and opium, indicates that police are targeting multiple layers of the supply chain rather than isolated street transactions.
A Campaign Now Running Over 499 Days
The ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ drive has become one of the defining law-and-order initiatives of the Bhagwant Mann government, running for well over 499 consecutive days. Recent weeks alone have seen a string of large operations, including a haul of over 30 kg of heroin tied to a Dubai-based smuggling cartel in Amritsar, and a single-day recovery of 26.2 kg of heroin during the campaign. According to AAP Punjab’s leadership, the cumulative tally under the drive now stands at more than 71,000 drug smugglers arrested, run alongside a parallel ‘Gangsters Te Vaar’ operation that has led to over 43,000 gangster-related arrests.
Enforcement Paired With Rehabilitation
Beyond arrests and seizures, Punjab Police have repeatedly stressed that the campaign is not enforcement-only. In several recent operations, individuals found to be users rather than traffickers were counselled and encouraged to enter de-addiction and rehabilitation programmes, reflecting the government’s stated dual approach of cracking down on suppliers while supporting affected individuals back into society.
