Amidst the ongoing anti-drugs campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Punjab Police has registered a first information report (FIR) against five jail officials including the Jail Superintendent and two inmates of the Hoshiarpur Central Jail on charges of drug trafficking and criminal conspiracy. 

The development came following the report received from Inspector General of Police (IGP) Prisons revealing connivance of certain jail officers with inmates in facilitating the drug smuggler lodged inside Hoshiarpur Central Jail for carrying out drug trafficking. 

Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) ANTF Nilabh Kishore said that the FIR has been registered following an inquiry into an organised drug smuggling operation within the prison. The inquiry indicated that the inmates were involved in drug smuggling, which was facilitated by the corrupt actions of jail officials, who are accused of using their positions to allow the flow of illegal narcotics, severely undermining the security and integrity of the correctional facility, he added. 

The ADGP said that an FIR has been registered under sections 21, 22, 29 and 59(2) of the NDPS act at at Police Station ANTF in SAS Nagar. A search was carried out simultaneously at 10 different places on Saturday morning, he said, while adding that further investigation is on and more arrests and actions are anticipated as authorities continue to uncover the full extent of the smuggling nexus. 

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate the matter in detail.