Illegal structures razed in drug hotspot village, 9 arrested

In a major action under the government’s aggressive ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ (War Against Drugs) campaign, the Commissionerate Police, Jalandhar, demolished illegal structures built by drug smugglers in village Lakhanpal, a locality known as a major drug hotspot.

Leading the operation, Commissioner of Police Dhanpreet Kaur said Lakhanpal, traditionally infamous for rampant drug sale and supply, had been under surveillance. Acting swiftly, a joint team of the Panchayat Department and Jalandhar Commissionerate Police razed the unauthorised structures built on the government land by known drug peddlers.

Police investigations revealed that the primary accused who encroached the land Hardeep Singh, alias Deepa, a history-sheeter, had nine cases registered against him, including seven under the NDPS Act. His father Sarbjit Singh and brother Sandeep, alias Sonu, also faced two criminal cases each.

Dhanpreet Kaur said the demolished structures were being misused by drug peddlers to cross over rooftops and escape during police raids. “By removing the illegal structures, we have curtailed their escape route. We intend to intensify our raids further and clean the village of its bad name once and for all," she asserted.

Earlier, during the crackdown in this drug hotspot, nine ‘drug peddlers’ were arrested, while several others fled, leaving their homes locked.

In addition to the arrests, the police have identified two properties for freezing under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act to further tighten the noose around drug traffickers.

Highlighting the collective resolve against drugs, the village panchayat also passed a resolution banning the sale and consumption of drugs within the village, extending full support to the government’s anti-drug campaign.

The CP reiterated the commitment of the Commissionerate Police to eradicate drugs from the roots and appealed to citizens to come forward with information.

She urged people to share any drug-related tips on the Punjab Government’s dedicated WhatsApp number 9779-100-200, assuring that the identity of informants would be kept strictly confidential.

Jalandhar