Entry points to Punjab sealed at 93 locations for anti-smuggling drive
Amid the ongoing 'Yudh Nasheyan Virudh' campaign, Punjab Police Friday carried out a special operation aimed at checking all vehicles entering or exiting the border state of Punjab to keep tab on drug trafficking and liquor smuggling.
During the operation, conducted from 6 am to 2 pm simultaneously in all districts on the directions of Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav, all SSPs of border districts were directed to organise joint naka operations at strategic places and mobilise a maximum number of manpower to lay strong 'nakas' at sealing points under the supervision of Gazetted officers/SHOs.
Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said that nakas involving over 900 Police Personnel were set up under the supervision of inspectors/DSPs in at least 93 entry/exit points of 10 districts, which share boundaries with four border states and Chandigarh. The 10 inter-state border districts include Pathankot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, Ropar, SAS Nagar, Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa, Hoshiarpur and Bathinda.
He said that 3,180 vehicles entering/exiting the state were checked, of which 367 were challaned and seven were impounded during the operation.
Apart from this, police teams have continued its cordon and search operation (CASO) against drugs on Day 111, and conducted raids at 505 locations on Friday leading to the arrest of 127 drug smugglers after registration of 98 FIRs across the state. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached 18,372 in 111 days.
Shukla added that raids have resulted in recovery of 4.2 kg heroin, 3 kg opium, 118 kg poppy husk and Rs 11,170 drug money from the possession of arrested drug smugglers.
He said that over 200 police teams, comprising over 1,500 police personnel conducted the raids.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
38 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Jalna crop relief scam: 21 govt officials suspended over 'misappropriation' of Rs 42 crore meant for farmers who suffered crop loss
In a major crackdown on corruption, the district administration in Jalna has suspended at least 21 officials from the revenue department over alleged siphoning off of funds amounting to Rs 42 crore that was intended as crop loss compensation for affected farmers. The district administration has also announced to expand the scope of inquiry across multiple talukas of Jalna and seven other districts of Marathwada. The scam came to light after complaints of irregularities by some farmers from two tehsil in Jalna — Ambad and Ghansawangi — in the distribution of compensation. A district-level committee was formed in January this year by Jalna Collector Shrikrishna Panchal to probe compensation disbursal in Ambad and Ghansawangi tehsils. The state government had allocated Rs 450 crore since 2022 to Jalna for post-disaster agricultural relief. A portion of it — Rs 79 crore — was flagged as suspicious with allegations of gross discrepancies in beneficiary records and fund allocation in an interim audit report of the committee, Panchal said. 'On closer scrutiny, so far we found Rs 42 crore was misappropriated through fraudulent claims. So far, we have suspended 21 officials, including 17 talathis and five clerical staff. Departmental inquiries have been also initiated against 35 talathis and we have issued showcause notices to five tehsildars,' Panchal told The Indian Express, adding that a report will be submitted to the government for further action against these officials. Of the embezzled amount, Panchal said Rs 7 crore has been recovered so far. He also said an inquiry in other talukas was underway and its report was expected soon. According to senior officials familiar with the investigation, the fraud followed a consistent modus operandi. Compensation was claimed in the names of bogus farmers, often for government-owned or uncultivated land. In several cases, officials exaggerated the size of farm holdings to inflate payouts. Duplicate claims and altered land records were also used to maximise the fraudulent gains. 'This was not a clerical error. It was a systematic misuse of the scheme. In some instances, officials filed claims on land where no crop was ever planted,' said a senior district official. The extent of involvement of officials is also striking. As per the audit report's current findings, at least 10 officials allegedly embezzled between ₹1 crore and ₹1.9 crore each, while several others misappropriated between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 50 lakh. Farmers' groups are now calling for broader accountability, pointing out that gram sevaks and agricultural assistants, who are central to verifying land and crop loss data, have so far not faced disciplinary action. Panchal said all those involved in the scheme, including gram sevaks and krishi sahayyaks, are under scrutiny, and appropriate action will be taken based on the final audit. As the probe continues and audits are extended to the remaining talukas, district officials are working to identify authentic beneficiaries using a combination of land records, satellite imagery, and bank account verification. What began as a local grievance in two tehsils has now widened into what may become one of Maharashtra's most significant post-disaster relief scams in recent years. In a new directive issued by the Divisional Commissioner, Aurangabad, revenue officials across eight districts of Marathwada have been ordered to conduct a five-year retrospective audit of all compensation distributed to farmers under natural calamity relief schemes. The directive mandates verification of whether: Compensation was given to ineligible persons, including non-farmers or those showing crops on government or uncultivable land, individuals received more than one installment of aid irregularly and whether aid was transferred to unintended beneficiaries, or fraudulently credited to wrong accounts. Officials have been asked to use village-level records to verify the authenticity of names and claims. 'A detailed, self-certified report must be submitted within 15 days, identifying irregularities and explaining how government-approved compensation reached unintended recipients,' the order signed by Divisional Commissioner, Aurangabad, dated June 11, stated. Where inquiries are undrway, resident Additional Collectors of respective districts have been appointed as nodal officers to coordinate all follow-up actions and disciplinary measures.
Deccan Herald
an hour ago
- Deccan Herald
Illegal mining: Karnataka Cabinet defers Lokayukta SIT extension
On June 18, Patil wrote a scathing 7-page letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah lamenting that the government has not done enough to punish culprits and recover the wealth that was lost to illegal mining, which he said caused a loss of Rs 1.5 lakh crore. He has demanded a new SIT.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Punjab Police busts Pakistan-linked BKI terror module in Amritsar, 6 pistols among weapons seized; one arrested
The Punjab Police on Saturday said it had busted a terror module of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). The BKI terror module was operated by a UK-based hamdler, who was a close associate of a Pakistan-based terrorist named Harvinder Singh Rana. The Punjab Police has also apprehended a local operative named Onkar Singh alias Nawab, a resident of Jalalusma village in Amritsar district. 'In a major breakthrough, Amritsar Commissionerate Police busts a Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terror module operated by UK-based handler Dharam Singh @ Dharma Sandhu, a close associate of Pak based Terrorist Harvinder Rinda and apprehends one local operative, Onkar Singh,' DGP Punjab Police Gaurav Yadav said in a post on X. Police have recovered six sophisticated pistols, our 9 mm Glock pistols and two .30 bore pistols from the accused, he said. 'An FIR has been registered, and further investigations are underway to unearth the broader network,' the Punjab Police DGP said in the X post. 'Punjab Police remains committed to neutralising terrorist threats and maintaining peace in the state,' he added. Dharam Singh, who was the operator of this BKI terror module, was a close associate of Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Singh alias Rinda, the police said. Sharing the details of the operation, Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the arrest was made after cops received precise intelligence inputs and and coordinated with each other to get to the accused. 'During interrogation, the accused disclosed that the weapons delivered via drones were meant for disruptive activities,' Yadav said. Preliminary investigation revealed that Onkar Singh was part of a sleeper cell activated by foreign-based handlers to destabilise the state. Bhullar further revealed that the seized weapons were meant to be distributed among local operatives of the terror outfit to carry out targeted killings and terror activities in Punjab. 'The weapons were meant to be distributed among local operatives to execute targeted killings and terror activities Punjab. We are working to uncover the entire network and its international linkages,' Bhullar said. In a separate operation, Amritsar Rural Police busted an international arms smuggling ring linked to Italy-based Gurpreet Singh alias Gopy. Four operatives were arrested, and nine illegal weapons were recovered during the intelligence-led raid.
