Nailing drug peddlers will be my top priority: Dhruman H Nimbale

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 11

Nailing drug-peddlers, freezing their properties and maintaining law and order in the border district of Tarn Taran will be my priorities. This was stated by SSP Dhruman H Nimbale, who joined office during the testing times when the hooch tragedy struck areas of the Majha region claiming over 120 deaths.

Tarn Taran was worst-affected with nearly 100 deaths while Amritsar and Batala were two other districts hit by the tragedy.

Within a month, the Punjab Police, including Amritsar rural and Batala police, we busted the nexus of bootleggers, truck drivers and dhaba owners. During the crackdown, the police busted three modules operating in Tarn Taran to supply spurious liquor that ultimately led to the tragedy. “We have arrested 44 persons in connection with the tragedy and among those arrested included dhaba owners in Zirakpur and Mohali who, along with truck drivers, used to siphon off ethanol and methanol-based alcohols from trucks besides local suppliers,” said Nimbale. “I joined during challenging times. It was very difficult to convince the family members of the victims for their postmortem. They were not coming forward for the same,” he said.

Besides, a concerted drive against bootleggers was launched to nail the suppliers at the local level and hundreds of them were arrested after the tragedy.

The region is traditionally known for manufacturing illicit liquor in villages and therefore we have launched awareness drives urging the people to consume certified liquors only if they wanted to, he added.

Nimbale said currently he was focusing on nailing drug-peddlers active in the border district. He said a special emphasis was being laid on freezing the properties of the notorious drug traffickers while more peddlers were being identified and the process was on to verify their properties.

He said the Tarn Taran police had identified around 500 smugglers active in the border district and their properties details were being verified. At present, the process of freezing the properties of around 182 drug-peddlers was under progress.

“For the first time, we have also involved the Income Tax Department with us to nail drug-traffickers by identifying and confiscating the properties and assets disproportionate to their known sources of income,” he said.

He said he also strengthened the PCR teams which would also move other major and religious areas likes Khadoor Sahib, Chohla Sahib, Bhikhiwind, Patti, Khemkaran and Tarn Taran city in order to maintain law and order. Earlier, PCR teams were confined to city areas only. Traffic police was also strengthened to main traffic in the major religious destinations in the district.