CASO held at 11 drug hotspots in Amritsar

As part of a state-wide crackdown on drug peddling and smuggling, the Amritsar city police on Friday conducted a massive cordon and search operation (CASO) at 11 identified hotspots, including the historic yet drug-infested Guru Ki Wadali area under the Chheharta police station limits.

Guru Ki Wadali has long been notorious for rampant drug abuse and peddling. The operation in the area was personally led by Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, who supervised the searches and interacted with local residents.

Sharing details of the police action, Bhullar said that during the past year alone, as many as 39 drug peddlers had been arrested from Guru Ki Wadali in connection with 17 FIRs registered under various provisions of the NDPS Act. “During this period, the police seized more than 9.5 kg of heroin along with Rs 69,000 in drug money from the accused,” the Police Commissioner said.

Besides Guru Ki Wadali, similar search operations were carried out simultaneously at 10 other locations across the city, all identified as vulnerable pockets with a high incidence of drug abuse and trafficking. The operations aimed at identifying suspects, verifying records and sending a strong deterrent message to smugglers and their associates.

Bhullar highlighted the importance of public participation in the anti-drug drive. He said the police had received several valuable inputs through the ‘SAFE’ mobile application launched by the Punjab Government, which allows citizens to share information anonymously. “The identity of informers is kept completely confidential, and such cooperation has significantly helped the police in nabbing smugglers,” he added.

The Police Commissioner said that during the past year, the Amritsar police had confiscated a total of 282 kg of heroin, 37 kg of opium, over 8 kg of ICE (methamphetamine), 9 kg of ganja, besides a huge quantity of synthetic drugs sourced from other states.

He maintained that the intensified fight against drug abuse launched by the Punjab Government in March 2025 had started yielding positive results, with residents of several hotspot areas reporting a noticeable decline in drug peddling and consumption.

During his visit to Guru Ki Wadali, Bhullar also interacted with local residents and children, urging them to support the police in eliminating the menace. “The police alone cannot eradicate this scourge. Public cooperation is essential to make society drug-free,” he asserted.

Apart from Guru Ki Wadali, CASO operations were conducted in Anngarh, Khalsa Nagar, Pandora village, Faizpura, Bal Sachander village, old vegetable market, Chamrang Road, Maqboolpura, Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar flats and Rasulpur Kalar village.

During the operation, seven FIRs were registered under the NDPS Act and nine persons were arrested in drug-related cases.