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P4 » » SUNSET SUNDAY 5.35 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 6:38 AM » SUNDAY | 1 NOVEMBER 2026 | AMRITSAR Crackdown on pharma stores sees seizure of ~1.15-cr drugs since 2025 Police intensify anti-drug drive, take battle to villages Pawan K Jaiswar Amritsar, October 31 Amid the growing concern over the involvement of juveniles and those from a humble background in the cross-border trafficking of drugs and weapons, the Punjab Police have stepped up their community outreach to prevent youngsters from falling into the trap of drugs, gangsterism and radicalisation. Apart from holding meetings in the border belt villages, the Amritsar rural police are taking the anti-drug campaign to urban wards, seeking greater public participation in identifying the vulnerable youth, monitoring suspicious activities, apart from strengthening the local response to drug abuse. Village and ward-level meetings are being organised with members of the Village Defence Committees (VDCs) and the Ward Defence Committees (WDCs) constituted to curb drug and weapons trafficking from Pakistan. These meetings are being held under the supervision of Border Range Inspector General Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and Amritsar Rural SSP Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal. “During meetings, we highlight the emerging concern over the use of social media 1,620 INSPECTIONS, 32 SEIZURES Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 31 Raids and inspections at medical stores have led to the seizure of drugs amounting to Rs 1.15 crore, including 3.75 lakh capsules and tablets, since January 1, 2025. Also, the outrage over the sensational killing of antidrug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota has prompted the drugs wing of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Amritsar zone, to intensify its enforcement action. According to information, the department conducted as many as 1,620 inspections and made 32 seizures during the period. The seized stock included 1.90 lakh capsules, primarily containing pregabalin and tramadol, and 1.85 lakh tablets, including tramadol and tapentadol. The seized pharma drugs were found without any sale and purchase record. In several cases, these were found stored in unlicensed godowns or storage spaces, said Kulwinder Singh, zonal drug authority, here. The enforcement action also led to the registration of 17 FIRs, apart from suspending 127 drug licences and ■ According to information, the department conducted as many as 1,620 inspections and made 32 seizures during the period. ■ The seized stock included 1.90 lakh capsules, primarily containing pregabalin and tramadol, and 1.85 lakh tablets, including tramadol and tapentadol. ■The enforcement action also led to the registration of 17 FIRs, apart from suspending 127 drug licences. ■ The seizures assume significance in view of the misuse potential of certain pharmaceutical substances, including pregabalin, tramadol and tapentadol. ■ Their illegal diversion and sale have remained a concern in the fight against substance abuse. << Officials during an inspection at a medical store in Amritsar. In most cases, sellers failed to produce any sale and purchase record. cancelling another 18. The regulatory action has also translated into legal proceedings. As many as 79 cases are under trial in courts, including 64 in Amritsar and 15 in Tarn Taran. Another 29 cases were pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, comprising 22 from Amritsar and seven from Tarn Taran, said Kulwinder Singh. The seizures assume significance in view of the misuse potential of certain pharmaceutical substances, including pregabalin, tramadol and tapentadol, in the past couple of years. Their illegal diversion and sale have remained a concern in the fight against substance abuse. The focus on the alleged illegal sale is back fol- lowing the Jhota’s killing. The accused was allegedly involved in the illegal sale of pregabalin drugs. The FDA also undertakes daily sampling of medicines supplied through the Verka government warehouse to monitor the quality of government-supplied drugs. The seizure figures underline the need for sustained sur- veillance of pharmaceutical supply chains, particularly to prevent medicines from being diverted from authorised channels into illegal markets. Kulwinder Singh said despite shortage of certain facilities, the department had been doing everything possible to nail the perpetrators involved in the illegal sale of the pharma drugs. Pawan K Jaiswar KEEP TABS ON ONLINE ACTIVITIES Tribune News Service Parents have been urged to keep tabs on their children's online activities, new social media contacts and behavioural changes. Police officials advised the youth to channel their energy towards sports, education and employmentoriented skills. Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal, SSP Amritsar Rural, at a meet. , platforms by criminal elements to lure youngsters, particularly children, into illegal activities,” said SSP Chahal, while adding that vulnerable youngsters were being offered money for carrying out seemingly minor tasks, before gradually being drawn into gangster networks and other criminal activities. The police officials also urged parents to keep tabs on their children’s online activities, new social media contacts and behavioural changes. They stressed the importance of maintaining an atmosphere of trust at home so that children can openly discuss suspicious approaches or inducements. The SSP also advised the youth to channel their energy towards sports, education and employment-oriented skills. He has also advocated a rehabilitation-oriented approach towards youngsters caught in drug addiction, urging families to seek counselling and treatment at government de-addiction and OOAT centres rather than isolating them. Speaking to The Tribune, IG Bhullar said sustained police action against drug traffickers was continuing, but the fight against drugs could not be won without active public participation. “We have appealed to residents to share information about drug-related activities through the anti-drug helpline 9779100200, while assuring that the identity of informers would be kept confidential and strict action would be taken against those involved in illegal activities,” he added. Two held with 1 kg Drug hotspots combed; vulnerable areas identified; 13 cases registered heroin; mobile seized Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 31 The police have arrested two persons and recovered 1 kg of heroin and a mobile phone from their possession. A police team was patrolling near the level crossing at Mangli when they spotted two youths coming from the opposite direction. One of them was carrying a polybag. The police stopped and searched them, recovering 1 kg of heroin from the packet, along with a mobile phone. Those arrested have been identified as Raj Kumar, a resident of Berian Wala locality in Dinanagar, Gurdaspur, and 1,870 intoxicating tablets also recovered Karandeep Singh, a resident of Old Mandi, Attari. A case under Sections 21-C, 29 and 61-85 of the NDPS Act has been registered. The accused were brought on police remand, while further investigation is on to ascertain the source of the contraband, apart from their backward and forward linkages to smash the entire module. Meanwhile, the Lopoke police arrested Kala Singh of Mandiawala and recovered 1,870 tablets and capsules, along with Rs 5,200 drug money. A case has been registered. Amritsar, October 31 The Amritsar Commissionerate Police on Saturday conducted a large-scale cordon and search operation (CASO) in identified drug hotspots and sensitive areas across the city, registering 13 cases under the NDPS Act and other provisions. The operations were supervised by all five Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs), who personally visited different hotspots to oversee searches and checking. As many as eight ADCPs, 10 ACPs, SHOs, police post incharges and around 430 police personnel were part of the operation. Police Commissioner Harmanbir Singh Gill visited the Angarh Police personnel interact with villagers; and (right) officials during a cordon and search operation in a drug hotspot in Amritsar on Saturday. area, where he interacted with residents and sought feedback on the police campaign, the local drug situation and the functioning of police personnel. He also encouraged residents to report cases of drug addic- tion in their neighbourhood, promising free treatment for those affected. Families unable to approach police officials could inform the department, following which the police would contact them and help arrange treatment. In an attempt to ensure accountability, the Police Commissioner also sought feedback on the conduct of police personnel, asking residents whether they had any informa- 100-m stretch puts motorists’ patience to test 1 killed, another injured over land dispute DigiYatra facility for international flyers; trial run at city airport Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 31 Ask a local what is it like to navigate through the 100-m stretch between GT Road and the entry point to the Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra interstate bus terminal and he/she will tell you how big a deal it is. Congestion on the stretch begins as early as 7 am and continues through the day. According to commuters, traffic jams occur eight to 10 times daily, with each disruption taking around 20 to 25 minutes to clear. During peak hours, a long queue of buses is seen at the entrance of the bus stand, while on the main road, vehicles remain stuck. A large number of autos and e-rickshaws too are seen stationed along the main road, making it difficult for buses and other vehicles to enter or exit the premises. A bus takes around seven to eight minutes to cover this short stretch and enter the bus stand due to traffic snarls and haphazard parking. Drivers often have to move Long traffic jams, haphazard parking between GT Road, Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra bus stand a regular feature Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Vehicles stuck in a traffic jam on the stretch between GT Road and the entry point to the Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra interstate bus terminal in Amritsar. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR their vehicles carefully to cross the congested passage. Passengers also face inconvenience getting in and out of the bus stand. The road, which is around 50 feet wide, has been divided into two car- riageways by a central divider. However, auto and e-rickshaw drivers occupy nearly 15 ft on either side, leaving only 10 ft for vehicular movement. With a standard bus measuring around 8.5 feet in width, the remaining space makes bus movement particularly difficult. The situation also creates an unpleasant experience for tourists and other visitors continued on page 2 c m y b Amritsar, October 31 A land dispute at Jodhe village turned ugly when a man, along with his family, allegedly sprayed bullets at two persons ploughing the land in the area falling under Beas police jurisdiction. Manjit Singh, a sewadar of a religious dera, was killed, while another person Davinder Singh, also a sewadar, was injured in the incident. Around 15 rounds were fired during the incident, the police said. SSP Amritsar Rural, Kan, waljit Singh Chahal said the police arrested the prime accused, identified as Jodhbir Singh, alias Jodha, his wife and juvenile son in the case. The police recovered four firearms — a Glock pistol, two .30-bore pistols and a 12-bore weapon — besides a large quantity of ammunition from their possession. Jodhbir also suffered injuries continued on page 2 tion about possible collusion between policemen and drug smugglers. He assured them that complaints would be investigated and action taken against those found involved. Apart from enforcement, the Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 31 Soon, international flyers departing from Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport will be able to enter the terminal building using facial recognition technology as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is scheduled to begin a live trial of the DigiYatra facility on November 1. The facility will initially be available to Indian citizens holding e-chip-enabled passports and travelling abroad. Passengers will be able to enter the terminal after their identity is verified through facial recognition, reducing dependence on physical documents and making the entry process faster. The airport has already installed facial scanning machines and completed the necessary preparations. A Facial scanning machines in place readiness test of the system has also been successfully conducted ahead of the live trial. DigiYatra is a biometricbased facility designed to offer paperless and contactless airport travel. It uses facial recognition technology to verify passengers’ identities and aims to reduce waiting time and physical interaction at airport checkpoints. The system is intended to make air travel more seamless, secure and convenient. According to information shared by the airport authorities, the facility is being introduced continued on page 2 police have identified locations vulnerable to drug consumption and areas lacking CCTV surveillance. Steps are being taken to install cameras, improve street lighting and continued on page 2 2-yr-old killed, mother hurt in road accident Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 31 A two-year-old girl was killed and her mother injured after a truck hit their electric scooter near the India Gate bypass on Friday. Complainant Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Kallewal, presently staying at Basarke Bhaini village, stated that he was on a motorcycle, while his wife Poonam Kaur and their twoyear-old daughter Navpreet Kaur were on an electric scooter. On reaching India Gate, his wife pulled over the scooter along a road. The driver of a truck (RJ07GF5729) that was parked ahead hit the scooter while reversing. While the woman suffered injuries, the child was crushed under the rear wheels of the truck. The complainant and passersby caught the truck driver, Sishupal, a resident of Gajsukhdesar village in Nokha tehsil of Bikaner district, Rajasthan.