The News Freedom
Ludhiana, June 15
The Ludhiana Municipal Corporation has demolished the homes of two alleged drug traffickers in Ludhiana on Sunday as part of the state’s intensified crackdown on narcotics and assets built through illicit earnings.The demolitions, carried out jointly by the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation and the city’s police commissionerate, are part of the state government’s ongoing anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashian De Virudh’, launched under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s zero-tolerance policy on drug crime.
Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said the move was aimed at sending a strong message to those profiting from the drug trade. “We are not just arresting drug traffickers; we are also dismantling their criminal infrastructure,” he said. According to police, 126 such properties have been demolished in Punjab since 1 March this year.
In the first case, the residence of an accused named Gurpal was razed with the help of bulldozers in the Amarpura area of Ludhiana. He is said to be facing nine cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. According to officials, Gurpal had fled to neighbouring Himachal Pradesh after police intensified their operations.
In the second incident, a house belonging to a woman identified as Rajinder Kaur, also known as Rozy, was demolished in Hero Suman Nagar in the city’s Lohara area. Police say she is currently in jail and is facing two criminal cases under the NDPS Act.
Both demolitions were carried out under heavy police presence, led by senior officials including Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma and senior officers from the city’s planning and revenue departments.
CP Sharma told reporters that the operations were conducted legally and with cooperation from residents. “These actions are part of a broader effort to remove the economic incentives behind drug trafficking,” he said.
Punjab has been battling a severe drug crisis for years, with authorities blaming entrenched smuggling networks and porous borders. The state government has recently stepped up efforts to target not only individuals but also the assets generated through the illicit drug economy.