Bulldozer action in drug hotspot Lakhanpal; Illegal construction razed, 9 peddlers arrested

Taking action under the 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' campaign, Commissionerate Police Jalandhar demolished illegal constructions of drug smugglers in Lakhanpal village — a locality notorious as a major drug hotspot.

Leading the operation, Commissioner of Police Dhanpreet Kaur said that the village had been under close surveillance. A joint team of the Panchayat Department and Jalandhar Commissionerate Police razed unauthorised structures built on government land by known drug peddlers.

Police investigations revealed that the primary accused who encroached the government 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.

Kaur said the demolished encroachment was being misused by drug peddlers to cross over rooftops and escape during police raids. "By removing these illegal structures, we have curtailed their escape routes. We intend to intensify our raids further and clean the village of its bad name," she asserted.

Earlier, nine drug peddlers were arrested, while several others fled. In addition to the arrests, the police have identified two properties for freezing under the NDPS Act.

The village panchayat also passed a formal resolution banning the sale and consumption of drugs within the village, extending full support to the government's campaign.

Kaur 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.