Amidst a spate of recent drug-related deaths in Kapurthala district, including that of a youth of Chakoki village on Tuesday, the police on Wednesday released data, claiming a sharp surge in drug recoveries, under the Yudh Nashian Virudh campaign.
The Kapurthala police claimed a 187 per cent surge in heroin seizures amidst tightening of the noose on drug networks in the district. As per official data shared by the police, between March 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026, the Police seized 30.4 kg of heroin, compared to 10.6 kg recovered during the pre-campaign (anti-drug) period (January 1, 2024 to February 28, 2025), marking an increase of 187 per cent.
The police said poppy husk seizures rose from 170 kg to over 452 kg, registering a 166 per cent increase, while opium recoveries increased from 6.845 kg to 11.517 kg, reflecting a 68 per cent rise.
Officials shared seizures of intoxicant tablets and capsules nearly doubled, increasing from 38,327 to 72,480, a jump of around 89 per cent during the anti-drug campaign period. Additionally, recoveries of charas and ICE, which were negligible earlier, have also been reported during intensified enforcement operations.
The police said during the anti-drug campaign period, 1,498 FIRs were registered under the NDPS Act and 1,867 accused arrested, compared to 376 cases registered and 481 accused arrested in the preceding period, indicating a substantial scale-up of 298 per cent and 288 per cent, respectively, in the policing efforts.
Gaurav Toora, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kapurthala, said, “Yudh Nashian Virudh campaign has enabled a focused and aggressive crackdown on narcotics. The significant increase in recoveries reflects the relentless efforts of the Kapurthala police to disrupt supply chains and curb drug trafficking at every level.”
He attributed the surge in seizures and enforcement to sustained, intelligence-led operations conducted across the urban and rural areas, with a focus on dismantling organised drug networks, identifying interstate linkages and targeting repeat offenders.
The police proceedings were initiated in 48 cases involving properties worth over Rs 9.10 crore linked to accused involved in drug activities. Of these, freezing and seizure orders worth Rs 8.60 crore had already been secured.
Notably, a spate of drug deaths in Kapurthala followed by a woman’s fifth son’s death due to substance abuse at Pandor Mohalla earlier had sparked repeated concerns over the drug availability in the district. The Pandori Mohalla youth’s death was followed by two drug-related deaths at Dhilwan, another recent death at Sultanpur Lodhi (a woman lost her second son to drugs in six months), and the fifth youth 28- year-old Shamsher Singh hailing from Chakoki village died due to substance abuse on Tuesday. The police has also run multiple CASO operations in the wake of these incidents.
Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira had shared on X, “The death of 28-year-old Shamsher of Chakoki village due to drug overdose (chitta) once again exposes the so called war against drugs campaign of the Aam Aadmi Party government. This is the fifth drug-related death in my constituency in 15 days. One can imagine the number of deaths across Punjab.
