466 held with drugs, liquor, arms during poll code imposition

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, May 7

Stepping up its drive against violators of the model code of conduct (MCC), which was enforced on March 16 after the General Election was announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Ludhiana Commissionerate of Police (CP) have arrested 466 criminals and smugglers with a huge cache of drugs, liquor, arms, ammunition and cash during the past two months.

Enforcement stepped up

We have stepped up strict surveillance through special nakas, mobile teams and search operations to ensure proper enforcement of the poll code and maintain the law and order situation in the run-up to the General Election. Routine security and checking drives are continuing as usual. We have 666 polling locations across eight Assembly segments spread under eight police sub-divisions and 28 police stations, of which 164 have been identified as vulnerable, where special security arrangements will be put in place.— Kuldeep Singh Chahal, Commissioner of police

Under the special campaign to ensure the implementation of the MCC and maintenance of law and order across the CP limits, which is spread over eight Assembly segments, including seven under Ludhiana and one under Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, the police have so far registered 121 FIRs for various offences punishable under the relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Excise Act, Arms Act and Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1985, and other pertinent legal provisions.

Besides, almost 79 per cent of the total 19,447 licenced arms have so far been deposited with the local police and registered gunhouses, as mandated by the prohibitory order issued by District Magistrate (DM) Sakshi Sawhney last month.

All 46 election-related complaints of criminal nature received by the Commissionerate Police since the implementation of the poll code have also been disposed of.

Sharing details, Commissioner of Police (CP) Kuldeep Singh Chahal told The Tribune here on Tuesday that a strict vigil was being maintained across the limits of eight police sub-divisions and 28 police stations falling under the CP jurisdiction to ensure proper enforcement of the poll code and check the activities of anti-social elements and criminals.

He said besides 17 special nakas (check-points), of which eight nakas were being monitored through CCTV cameras, set up across the city, 72 special mobile surveillance teams, including flying squad and surveillance teams (FSTs), static surveillance teams (SSTs) and video surveillance teams (VSTs) had been deployed, with nine teams patrolling each Assembly constituency in three shifts.

“Regular coordination meetings are being held with the counterparts at the district-level, sub-division and police stations,” Chahal said, revealing that special control rooms and a separate WhatsApp group have been created for sharing real-time information on the poll code violations.

The Ludhiana top cop said a company of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) had arrived here, and it was being used for monitoring the inter-district nakas.

Issuing a stern warning to the arms licence-holders who have not yet deposited their licensed weapons even after the lapse of the March 31 deadline, the CP said as many as 14,699 of the total 19,447 arms have so far been deposited in compliance with the DM’s prohibitory orders, adding that 585 licences have been exempted as per legal provisions, and added to the arms submitted so far, took the percentage to 78.59 per cent of the total arms registered in the CP limits. There were a total of 16,239 arms licence-holders in Ludhiana.

“A special screening committee has been formed to scrutinise the arms licences and gunhouses,” he said, adding that there were 16 gunhouses in Ludhiana, and these have been inspected by DSP-rank officers and their security related audit has also been conducted.

Providing details of action taken against smuggling of narcotics and illicit liquor, Chahal said 77 drug smugglers have been arrested in 59 cases registered under the NDPS Act since March 16 while 67 liquor smugglers have been caught in 52 cases lodged under the Excise Act since the poll code was implemented.

Besides, 10 criminals have been arrested in seven cases under the Arms Act so far.

The police have seized 64.5 kg poppy husk, 69.6 kg ganja, 2.664 kg heroin, 3.5 kg opium, 55 g the party drug popularly known as ICE, 13 gram intoxicant powder, 6,975.97 l of licit liquor, 1,412.4 lof beer, 82,279 l of lahan and Rs 30,33,400 unaccounted cash from the arrested persons.

Acting tough against the criminals, especially gangsters and history-sheeters, the police have arrested 11 gangsters, 192 proclaimed offenders (POs) and absconders and have deleted 580 such persons from the records following the legal process.

Besides, 102 of the total 214 identified trouble-makers and history-sheeters have so far been bound as per legal provisions while the hunt was on for the remaining 112 trouble-makers and history-sheeters. Of the total 12 escapees, the police have managed to arrest seven.

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