Haryana Police set to detain 25 repeat drug offenders in April

The Haryana Police have decided to invoke the extraordinary powers under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT NDPS) Act to detain 25 repeat drug offenders, in what will be another wave of arrests in April to further dismantle the drug trafficking ecosystem.

Already the police have nabbed 71 repeat drug offenders who were cumulatively involved in 337 cases of drugs under PIT NDPS Act between January 2023 and March 2025. The PIT NDPS Act is a potent legal tool that allows the preventive detention of habitual offenders involved in drug trafficking, up to one year without trial.

“With 25 more cases under active preparation, the Haryana Police are showing no signs of slowing down in its fight against the drug menace,” said OP Singh, chief of the Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau (HSNCB).

“Many of these traffickers know the law better than most…They stay under the commercial threshold deliberately, because it helps them secure bail and avoid serious jail time. We are using the PIT NDPS Act to shut that door.”

Unlike conventional prosecution, often delayed or derailed by bail, this Act allows police to isolate repeat offenders, trying to dodge the system, based on their past conduct and create an extra layer of deterrence.

According to the police, despite repeated arrests such habitual offenders, who are under the police radar, continued trafficking by taking advantage of legal loopholes, particularly those that differentiate between small, intermediate, and commercial quantities.

As per HSNCB data, of the total 71 repeat offenders (10 female and 61 male) detained in last two years, districts with the highest number of detentions under the PIT NDPS are Fatehabad (11), Kaithal (10), Faridabad and Rewari (7 each), Dabwali and Nuh (4 each).

While a Dabwali resident Makhan Singh and Gaje Singh of Rohtak are involved in the highest nine NDPS cases each, “Rahul, 25, son of Nijjar Mohammad, Nuh district,” faces eight cases under the NDPS, and Gurmukh Singh of Fatehabad has been booked in six cases. Similarly, a 32-year-old Rani of Rohtak district is another repeat offender with five FIRs registered against her, as per police records.

“This is the layer of repeat offenders we needed to remove as they are the ones who keep the machinery running. Once they’re out of circulation, the networks start to collapse,” said a police officer posted in a district.

The police sources say since the crackdown, many districts have reported a noticeable drop in trafficking activity. Officers say the threat of preventive custody has forced repeat offenders to rethink the risk involved.

HSNCB chief OP Singh said that the next wave of detentions is expected in April as the dossiers of 25 repeat offenders were under legal review. “District police units and the HSNCB are working closely to compile evidence and act quickly. This is not a one-off exercise,” said Singh.

“We’re in this for the long haul. Every preventive detention sends a message: habitual trafficking will have lasting consequences,” he added.