Faridkot Leads Punjab’s Anti-Drug Drive With 37% Crime Fall, 97% Snatching Recovery

Faridkot’s anti-drug drive, led by the Yudh Nasheen Virudh campaign and supported by Operation Prahar, reports a notable crime drop, high recovery rates, and improved public trust through CCTV use and community collaboration.

Faridkot is showing strong gains in the Bhagwant Mann Government’s 'Yudh Nashean Virudh’ anti-drug campaign, with officials reporting a 37% overall crime drop and a 97% recovery rate in snatching cases, figures that police link to sustained crackdowns under both 'Yudh Nashean Virudh’ and 'Operation Prahar’ across the district.

Police and civil society groups describe a district where drug networks are under stronger pressure, law and order has improved, and residents are more willing to share information, with the administration presenting Faridkot as proof that focused work against narcotics can reshape local safety when enforcement, technology and public participation move together.

Faridkot drug campaign Yudh Nashean Virudh strengthens policing

Senior Superintendent of Police Pragya Jain, IPS, who is monitoring operations closely, stressed that direct contact with residents has changed policing outcomes, saying, "People have developed strong trust in the police because informers' identities are kept completely confidential and action is taken promptly. Citizens across age groups are actively supporting the drive." Police officials describe this trust as a powerful support in the fight against drugs and related crime.

Technology is central to the new policing model in Faridkot, where CCTV cameras now cover key markets, crossings and internal roads, and in Dhilwan Kalan village a dedicated CCTV grid tracks link roads and nearby highways, with live footage available to village authorities and the police control room, which allows suspicious movement to be flagged and checked in real time.

Faridkot drug campaign Yudh Nashean Virudh backed by community

Local representatives say these systems have changed how quickly drug-related activity is spotted, with village sarpanch Rajwinder Singh and Sukhjeet Singh Dhilwan, Coordinator Yudh Nashya vrdhu central Malwa Zone Punjab, explaining that CCTV monitoring has enabled early detection of movement suspected to be linked with drug trafficking, giving police time to reach the spot, detain suspects and prevent planned offences.

Officials highlight that the use of cameras is backed by an intensive network of human intelligence, as police hold regular coordination meetings with Village Defence Committees, NGOs and social organisations to gather information from neighbourhoods, and residents are increasingly approaching officers with names of alleged peddlers and other anti-social elements, which helps plan quicker, more targeted raids.

Civil society voices are also reporting change on the ground, with Chairman of Sahara Service Society Praveen Kala stating that strict policing under the present drive has broken a substantial share of drug trafficking infrastructure in the district, while cooperation between the public and law enforcement has grown and created a stronger deterrent effect for potential offenders.

Alongside raids and arrests, Faridkot officials are running awareness drives, linking with local administration and community groups on programmes that warn youth about addiction, support environmental efforts and include sapling distribution, and with these combined steps under the Bhagwant Mann Government’s 'Yudh Nashean Virudh’ and 'Operation Prahar’ banners, the district is being positioned as a model of how integrated enforcement, technology and citizen involvement can weaken drug supply chains and rebuild confidence in policing.