Cripple smugglers financially, DGP Arora tells his officers
LUDHIANA: Calling upon the state police force to tackle drug smuggling by denying the kingpins access to financial resources, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora asked officers to forfeit their illegally acquired properties.
Arora, accompanied by DGP of anti-drug Special Task Force (STF), Mohammad Mustafa, was in town for a meeting with officers of Police commisionerate, Ludhiana, and with SSPs of Ludhiana Rural, Khanna and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar on Monday.
“Carry out effective and systematic financial investigation into illegally acquired properties of smugglers. These can be seized and forfeited by the competent authority under the NDPS Act. This will cripple the financial resources available to smugglers,” the DGP told the meeting, adding that incorrigible and habitual drug smugglers could be taken into preventive detention.
In this regard, he referred to the Prevention of Illicit Trafficking (PIT-NDPS), Act, 1988, under which the police are empowered to detain a habitual drug peddler for a year.
He also called for coordinated action. “The anti-drug STF is part of the DGP office in the state. Coordination between units is necessary. Launch a special campaign against proclaimed offenders and absconders in cases registered under the provisions of the NDPS Act. Get parole jumpers back in jail.”
He also asked officers to ensure that the state’s youth are engaged in anti-drug programmes like ‘Buddy’.
Mustafa added, “The antidrug STF will now work with SSPs and commissioners of police for the eradication of this problem from the state. I will monitor the action that the district chief takes action that percolates down to police stations.”