Punjab To Deploy Anti-Drone System By October To Curb Cross-Border Drug, Arms Smuggling

Chandigarh: The Punjab government will deploy an anti-drone system by October to check the drugs and weapons smuggling through unmanned aerial vehicles from Pakistan, Director General of Police, Punjab, Gaurav Yadav said here on Monday.

Stating that police had got conducted tests of the anti-drone system at the Indian border along Pakistan and held meetings with the minister home affairs (MHA), the DGP said that the state government will have the anti-drone system installed on the second line of defence in coordination with the MHA and Border Security Force (BSF). The state police will be able to intercept, more effectively, the drones carrying drugs and weapons from across the border, he held.

He had also said that the state police would also recruit 5,500 home guards soon to strengthen the second line of defence at the Indo-Pak border.

DGP Yadav further told newspersons that the state police has also urged the government to set up 30 exclusive NDPS courts in the state and the proposal is under active consideration.

Meanwhile, he said, the state police had arrested 7,414 accused under NDPS Act during the special drive launched on March 1, last; according to him, while 297 kg of heroin has been seized, 153 kg of opium, 21.77 lakh tablets, 10,000 kg of poppy husk, 95 kg of ganja, Rs 8 crore drug money has also been seized since.

Stating that this special drive would continue till May 31, DGP Yadav held that state police’s focus is on dismantling the drug supply chains. He clarified that state police believed that the drugs will no longer be available on the streets after May 31 and that no specific targets of arrests or recoveries have been given to the police officers during the drive.