Chandigarh: Punjab Police have arrested 38,738 people, including gangsters and their associates, after conducting 93,927 raids across the state in the five months since the launch of the ‘Gangstran Te Vaar’ campaign on Jan 20, special DGP (law and order) Praveen Kumar Sinha said on Saturday.Sinha said district police teams, in coordination with the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), have been conducting raids at identified locations linked to gangsters’ associates. Police have recovered 716 firearms, 1,976 live cartridges, 209 magazines, 187 sharp-edged weapons and seven hand grenades from those arrested.He said preventive action had been initiated against 15,825 people, while 18,042 others were verified and released after questioning. Police have also arrested 1,244 proclaimed offenders since the campaign began.On the 151st day of the campaign, police arrested 348 people after conducting 575 raids, initiated preventive action against 125 persons and apprehended five proclaimed offenders.Meanwhile, under the anti-drug drive ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’, which completed 476 days on Saturday, police arrested 103 alleged drug smugglers and seized 848 gm of heroin, 12 kg of poppy husk, 1,308 intoxicant tablets and capsules, and Rs 6,756 in suspected drug money.With these arrests, the number of alleged drug smugglers apprehended under the campaign has risen to 69,201. Police also persuaded 13 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment on Saturday.
