30 cases registered under NDPS Act at Dera Bassi in 6 months, 38 held

Satinder Pal Singh
Dera Bassi, October 11

The police crackdown on consumers and peddlers during the past six months has increased following the state government’s “zero tolerance” policy towards drugs.

 The city police claimed to have registered 30 FIRs and arrested 38 accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act) in the Dera Bassi constituency under a special drive against drug peddlers from April 1 till September 30 this year.

 Though the city has witnessed rise in seizure of drugs under the NDPS Act as compared to last year, the campaign against narcotics seems to have yielded the desired results. 

 Increase in registration of cases was attributed to the focus of the police on containment of drugs and better enforcement of anti-trafficking laws with inputs from the general public, said Mohinder Singh, SHO, Dera Bassi police station.

 Acting tough to curb the inflow of contraband and illicit liquor in the Dera Bassi subdivision, the police claimed to have tackled the drug menace to some extent.

 If one goes by the report from the Dera Bassi constituency, the police have seized a large quantity of narcotics, including 127.09 kg of poppy husk, 3.35 kg of opium, 410 gm of heroin, 16.3 kg of ganja, 5 gm of smack and 3,1274 of intoxicant (tablets/capsules/injections), besides illicit liquor, this year.

 As many as 12 cases, which are maximum, have been registered at the Dera Bassi police station under the NDPS Act. As per the record from Zirakpur police station, in all eight cases have been registered under the NDPS Act from April 1 to September 30, 2018. With the arrest of eight drug peddlers at different nakas in the city, the police recovered 402 gm of heroin and 1.746 kg of ganja from their possession.

 Similarly, 10 FIRs have been registered at the Lalru police station and 14 persons have been arrested under the NDPS Act. The police claimed to have seized 58 kg of poppy husk, 98 gm of narcotic powder, 2.504 kg of ganja, 14,180 intoxicants (tablets/capsules) and 3.35 kg of opium from the persons arrested.

 Reports also show that poppy husk (127.09 kg) and ganja (16.3kg) continue to be the predominant drug choice in the Dera Bassi constituency.

The Lalru police claimed to have seized 58 kg of poppy husk from a tanker near Dappar in July. The two accused Pawan Kumar of Panchkula and his accomplice Mustaq Mohammad of Fatehgarh Sahib were arrested under the NDPS Act in this connection.

 Similarly, the Dera Bassi police intercepted a Tata Ace near Mahiwala village in March this year and arrested Rai Singh, a resident of Kheri Gujran, who was in possession of 40-kg poppy husk. 

 The Handsera police arrested two women identified as Ruby and Sushma in April this year and recovered 800 gm of ganja from their possession.

 The SHO, Dera Bassi police station, Mohinder Singh, said following the directives of the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Dera Bassi, Harmandeep Hans, to tighten the noose around anti-social elements, the city police besides taking strict action to curb smuggling of narcotics was also conducting regular checks.

 “Nakas are laid during nights on link roads and vehicles entering from other states searched more intensively for ruling out inflow of contraband like poppy husk and opium,” the Station House Officer (SHO) added.

 ASP Harmandeep Hans said, “Nobody involved in drug peddling will be spared.” He also urged the people to come forward and share the information regarding the sale, consumption and use of narcotics in the city in order to help the police curb the drug menace. 

Drugs seized from April 1 to Sept 30, 2018

• Poppy husk: 127.09 kg
• Heroin: 410 gm
• Ganja: 16.3 kg
• Smack: 5 gm
• Opium: 3.35 kg
• Injections/tablets/ capsules: 31,274
• Total FIRs registered: 30
• Number of accused arrested with drugs: 38