2025 Proved To Be Year Of Reckoning For Criminals, With 13 Killed And 916 Arrested: CM Bhagwant Mann | India News

Chandigarh: In a decisive push against Punjab’s entrenched drug and organized crime networks, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday said the state is decisively turning the tide, citing the arrest of 85,418 drug smugglers over the last three and a half years, an unprecedented 88 percent conviction rate under the NDPS (Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act, and the apprehension of 916 gangsters since January 1, 2025.

Reviewing the performance of the Police department, the Chief Minister noted that sustained enforcement, tighter investigations and zero political interference are translating into outcomes on the ground, marking a clear shift from rhetoric to results in Punjab’s long fight against the drug menace.

During the meeting on Saturday, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that ever since his government assumed the charge of office 63,053 cases have been registered against the drug smugglers. “In 2025 since the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ was launched 30,144 FIRs have been registered and 40,302 smugglers have been arrested by the Police. This first of its kind drive against the menace was launched on March 1, 2025 and has been successful in checking the drugs to a considerable extent,” he noted.

The Chief Minister said that a multi pronged strategy largely based on three principles of enforcement, de-addiction and prevention was formulated to combat the drugs the results of which have been very fruitful. “As per this drive a major crackdown was launched against drug suppliers and the smuggling network was dismantled. Similarly, in the last 3.5 years 5119.94 kg of heroin, 3,458.53 kg opium, 5.82 kg cocaine, 82.04 kg Ice and 4.98 crore capsules along with 52.46 crore drug money has been recovered,” he added.

CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the state has accorded the highest priority to the fight against drugs since 2022, adopting a comprehensive, sustained and outcome-oriented approach combining enforcement, financial disruption, technology-enabled policing, conviction certainty, public participation, and humane rehabilitation. “The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), Punjab Police, has been at the forefront of implementing this strategy, resulting in measurable and sustained impact across all key indicators,” stated the Chief Minister.

He pointed out that enforcement efforts progressively shifted from isolated seizures to targeted action against commercial quantity cases, repeat offenders, and organized trafficking networks, ensuring disruption of the drug supply chain at higher levels.

The Chief Minister said that one of the most significant deterrent outcomes has been achieved through financial investigations as over 1,400 proposals for freezing of illegally acquired properties were confirmed. Likewise, properties worth more than Rs 2,730 crore were frozen/confirmed during 2022-2025. “This has sent a clear message that proceeds of drug crime will not be allowed to sustain narcotics networks in Punjab,” he asserted.

CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that strong investigation quality and legal follow-up resulted in over 25,000 NDPS cases being decided by courts, with more than 21,600 convictions. “Overall conviction rate stands at approximately 84%, improving steadily over the years and reaching around 88% in 2025, reflecting robust case preparation, forensic support, and prosecution. The technological capacity has been significantly strengthened through PAIS-based analytics, technical cells, digital forensics and intelligence integration,” he emphasized.

The Chief Minister said that ‘SAFE Punjab’ WhatsApp Chatbot emerged as a flagship citizen-participation initiative, generating nearly 30,000 actionable tips, over 11,000 FIRs, and approximately 14,000 arrests, with a conversion rate of about 38%, indicating high public trust and effective response mechanisms. “The Punjab government has significantly enhanced its capability to counter drone-based narcotics smuggling, resulting in the recovery of hundreds of drones in recent years, with a sharp increase in interceptions during 2025,” he added.

Citing the action against the gangsters, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that from January 1 till December 17, the Punjab Police has arrested 916 gangsters, neutralized 13, busted 389 modules, recovered 594 weapons, along with 229 weapons.