Properties of two notorious drug smugglers demolished

Adopting a zero-tolerance policy against drug trafficking and ill-gotten wealth amid the ongoing anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’, launched by the Punjab Police, properties of two notorious drug smugglers have been demolished here on Sunday.

The operations were carried out by the MC, Ludhiana, with the support of the Commissionerate Police.

Special Director General of Police, Law and Order, Arpit Shukla, said these operations were part of the state government’s intensified crackdown on narcotics networks, ensuring that criminals not only face arrest but also lose their unlawfully acquired assets. With the demolition of the two properties, as many as 126 properties, constructed by smugglers using ill-gotten money, have demolished since March 1 this year in the state.

In the first operation, a bulldozer was used to raze the house of a notorious drug smuggler, identified as Gurpal, located at street 2 of Amarpura in Ludhiana. The operation was carried out under heavy police deployment, led by the CP, Ludhiana, Swapan Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Investigation, Harpal Singh, ADCP Zone-1 Sameer Verma and Assistant Town Planner (ATP) Zone-B Kuljeet Singh Mangat.

CP Swapan Sharma said Gurpal, whose house was demolished, had a criminal background with as many as nine criminal cases under the NDPS Act had been registered against him at police stations in the city. The suspect, who is notorious in the area for drug sale, had been involved in drug smuggling since 2014, he said, adding that the suspect had managed to flee to HP, following the drive against drugs waged by the Punjab Police.

In the second operation, the house of a woman drug smuggler, Rajinder Kaur, alias Rozy, located at Hero Suman Nagar in Lohara village here, was demolished using a bulldozer.

CP Swapan Sharma said Rajinder Kaur, who was shifted to the locality a few years ago and gradually constructed a house had been facing two drug cases. At present, the woman was lodged in a jail. Both operations were held smoothly with support from residents of both areas.