Haryana's focused campaign against drug abuse yielding results: Officials

Haryana Police's focused and sustained anti-narcotics campaign in areas which border Punjab has started to yield results, officials said on Tuesday.

The state police conducted a coordinated, intelligence-driven and network-disruption-focused operation against drug trafficking across Sirsa, Fatehabad and Dabwali between October 16 and November 30, they said.

A comparative analysis of two periods -- September 1 to October 15 and October 16 to November 30 -- clearly shows that the new policing strategy has shaken the drug networks from their very roots, a statement by the police department said.

According to official data, a special 45-day drive from October 16 to November 30 this year led to the registration of 153 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Sirsa, Fatehabad and Dabwali, compared to 105 cases in the preceding 45-day period from September 1 to October 15.

The increase in cases in Sirsa, Fatehabad and Dabwali indicates that police reached deep into network points that had so far remained hidden beneath the surface. The rise in case numbers does not reflect an increase in crime, but rather the exposure of previously concealed networks, the statement said.

A comparison of arrests shows that the new strategy broke the backbone of drug traffickers. Seizures of heroin and opium rose significantly compared to the previous period, showing that police are now targeting high-profit, high-risk narcotic routes, it said.

Sirsa, Dabwali and Fatehabad together recovered over one kilogram of heroin, sizeable quantities of poppy husk and cannabis, and close to 9,400 tablets and capsules of controlled drugs in the latest 45-day period, with comparative data showing traffickers being forced into earlier and riskier movements, it said.

Officials said this police action dovetailed with state-level initiatives in 2025 to curb diversion from the pharmaceutical chain, including surprise inspections of chemist shops and stricter monitoring of psychotropic medicines.

Extensive inspections during the campaign resulted in the sealing of 23 medical stores across Sirsa, Dabwali and Fatehabad, as opposed to just three in the previous period.

Officials said the focus of the drive was not limited to users or street-level catches, but extended to ''link peddlers'' and key conduits in villages and small towns.

In all, 160 such link peddlers were identified during the campaign, of whom 86 were arrested, up from 68 in the preceding 45 days, signalling a shift towards dismantling the local architecture of drug supply rather than merely registering isolated seizures, they added.

Meanwhile, Haryana DGP O P Singh on Tuesday said, ''We have deepened police action, targeting not just users but the entire drug supply network. This fight is about protecting security, health, and society. Bringing addicts onto treatment and rehabilitation paths is our priority. Our goal is to transform Haryana's passionate border districts into areas free from the scourge of drugs.'' Seizures of narcotics and psychotropic substances also reflected the intensified action. Property and asset action under NDPS provisions has been stepped up as well, targeting the economic base of the drug trade in the border belt.

Confiscation proceedings were initiated in 27 cases between October 16 and November 30, compared to 15 in the previous period, with authorities describing these steps as crucial to making drug trafficking a ''loss-making proposition'' for organised networks in the region.

Police records show that the crackdown has been combined with a parallel push towards treatment and rehabilitation to prevent repeat overdose incidents.

During the latest campaign, 1,138 drug-dependent persons were identified and guided towards de-addiction and medical care in Sirsa, Dabwali and Fatehabad, compared to 763 in the earlier 45-day window -- an increase of 375 individuals moved from high-risk consumption to supervised treatment and counselling, officials said.

This twin-track approach has been implemented against the backdrop of some suspected ''drug overdose deaths'' in Sirsa and adjoining areas earlier this year that had triggered public outrage, including some deaths reported from single villages within short spans.

Village-level meetings, joint teams with health and social welfare departments, and youth-focused outreach activities have encouraged families to report addicts for treatment rather than conceal the problem out of stigma or fear of prosecution, officials said.

State authorities noted that the turnaround in Sirsa, Dabwali and Fatehabad is consistent with Haryana's wider anti-drug strategy in 2025, which emphasises strong enforcement along with expansion of treatment and awareness programmes.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)