The Rajasthan Police’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has made significant progress in combating drug trafficking by apprehending 80 wanted drug smugglers in the last nine months. Led by Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Kumar Sharma and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Dinesh MN, the operation, known as ANTF Strike: Crossing the Diamond Jubilee, targeted these criminals.
ANTF Inspector General of Police (IGP) Vikas Kumar disclosed that the captured smugglers had a total reward of Rs 21.28 lakh on their heads, motivating the police to dismantle a vast interstate drug trafficking network. Through a series of coordinated actions in eight states, including Rajasthan, the ANTF employed technical surveillance, intelligence gathering, and field operations to track down and arrest these notorious individuals.
The arrested individuals included 64 residents of Rajasthan, 10 from Madhya Pradesh, two each from Gujarat and Punjab, one from Haryana, and others from Kerala, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. Many of the accused were found operating outside Rajasthan while supplying narcotics to various regions across the country.
Furthermore, the ANTF apprehended four major drug kingpins who were among Rajasthan’s ‘Top-25’ most wanted smugglers. Among the 80 apprehended, 65 had rewards of Rs 25,000 or more, with two exceeding Rs 1 lakh and nine exceeding Rs 50,000. Some of these smugglers had been on the run for five to ten years, continuing their illegal activities while evading capture.
To capture elusive fugitives, ANTF personnel utilized various disguises during undercover operations. They posed as shepherds, hospital compounders, census workers, electricity linemen, and other roles to gather intelligence and locate suspects. The operation involved five specialized ANTF teams using internal code names like ‘Neelmani,’ ‘Vishanubahu,’ ‘Madmarjar,’ and ‘Khar-Dushan’ for operational secrecy.
IGP Vikas Kumar emphasized that with the apprehension of these 80 wanted smugglers, the ANTF will escalate efforts to disrupt the criminal networks, financial assets, and operational infrastructure of the remaining drug traffickers identified under the ‘NARCO-25′ initiative. The Rajasthan Police encourages citizens to assist in creating a “Drug-Free Rajasthan” by reporting any drug-related information to the ANTF Control Room via phone at 0141-2502877 or WhatsApp at 9261225056, ensuring informants’ confidentiality.
