category Regional, chandigarh, , tags Regional, chandigarh, , DW BUREAU Chandigarh Intensifying the war against drugs, Punjab Police has set a new benchmark by seizing highest-ever 1,161 kg heroin in this year, Inspector General of Police Sukhchain Singh Gill said here on Wednesday. This is for the first time that 65 drug consumers, caught with little quantity of drugs, availed provision of section 64-A of the NDPS by pledging to undergo the rehabilitation treatment, he said. Gill, who was addressing a yearender media briefing, said from January 1 to December 26, the police have arrested 14,951 drug smugglers and suppliers, including 2,424 big fish, after registering 10,786 FIRs. Apart from big haul of 1,161 kg heroin, the police have recovered 795 kg opium, 403 quintals poppy husk, and 83.17 lakh tablets, capsules, injections and vials of pharma opioids from across the state, he said, adding the drug money of Rs 13.67 crore was seized. Punjab Police have also seized 294 properties of Rs 127 crore (Rs 110.64 crore immovable and Rs 16.45 crore movable property) of big smugglers this year, while 90 more proposals for forfeiture of properties of Rs 26 crore are pending with the competent authority, the IGP said. He said as part of the ongoing special drive to arrest proclaimed offenders and absconders in NDPS cases, the police have arrested 673 offenders and absconders since January 1. Further tightening the noose around the repeated offenders under the NDPS act, IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill said that Punjab Police had sent a list of 55 such drug smugglers to the STF Headquarters to invoke Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotics Drugs Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) act against them. The section 3 of the PIT-NDPS Act empowers the government to take such drug smugglers into preventive custody to prevent them from engaging in illicit traffic of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Recounting the achievements of Punjab Police against the gangsters front in 2023, the IGP said that the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) along with field units has succeeded in busting 188 gangsters criminals modules after arresting 482 gangsters criminals, after recovering 519 weapons, 102 vehicles used in criminal activities, 4.5 KGs heroin and Rs 71.08 lakhs drug money. He said that at least 60 encounters (exchange of fires) took place between the police parties and criminals this year, during which nine gangsters criminals were neutralised and 127 gangsters criminals were arrested, of which, 32 had sustained injuries. Unfortunately, one of our colleague attained martyrdom, while, six police personnel had sustained injuries during the exchange of fires, said IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill. Notably, immediately after coming to power, the CM Bhagwant Mann-led state government on April 6, 2022, formed a special Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) headed by ADGP Promod Ban to wipe out gangsters from the state. The IGP said that this year, six major incidents had taken place in Punjab including three low-grade explosive blasts at Heritage Street in Amritsar; a murderous attack at Batala-based Hindu Shiv Sena (Samajwadi) leader and his brother and his son; Kulcha shop owner murdered in Bathinda; Dacoity in Ludhiana; Ex-Sarpanch murdered in village Khosa Kotla in Moga; Ludhiana based industrialist was kidnapped and shot at by miscreants to extort money. Punjab Police have effectively solved all these major crimes in a record time, he added. (editor dailyworld.in)