Chandigarh, June 11 -- Punjab Police have launched the third phase of the "Yudh Nashian Virudh' campaign with a focused three-day statewide special campaign against illegal hawala traders and operators, who facilitate the movement of drug money and sustain narcotics networks, Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Wednesday. "Punjab Police have adopted a robust financial disruption strategy under the Yudh Nashian Virudh campaign, aimed at identifying, tracing, freezing and confiscating the financial assets generated through drug trafficking," the DGP said in a statement. "Since the launch of the campaign last year, Punjab Police have systematically dismantled the financial infrastructure of organised drug trafficking networks through sustained legal action against drug traffickers, hawala operators, drug proceeds and illegally acquired assets. The campaign further seeks to dismantle the economic infrastructure of drug syndicates," he added. The DGP highlighted that the aggressive targeting of clandestine channels had dealt a severe blow to narco-hawala syndicates. Under the campaign so far, dedicated enforcement operations have led to the arrest of 73 hawala operators and the recovery of Rs.10 crore in hawala money. To deprive drug traffickers of their illicit gains and create a lasting deterrent, Yadav revealed that assets worth over Rs.830 crore had been frozen under Section 68F of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act since 2022. More than 1,727 property-freezing proposals had been successfully confirmed by the competent authority, he added. Alongside these major actions against illicit financial facilitators, police teams have also recovered more than Rs.20 crore in drug proceeds from the accused persons since March 1, 2025, alone. Terming this unprecedented success heavily supported by intensive investigations and intelligence-led policing, the DGP said, "The fight against narcotics cannot be won through arrests and seizures alone. By targeting hawala networks, proceeds of crime, and illegally acquired properties, we are depriving traffickers of their economic benefits and ensuring they cannot reinvest proceeds into illegal activities." Launched on March 1 last year, the anti-drug campaign is built around a three-pronged Enforcement, De-addiction and Prevention strategy to combat drug trafficking, with police stepping up action against peddlers and users alike. The campaign after 466 days has led to the arrest of 67,572 drug smugglers, registration of 48,220 FIRs and recovery of Rs.18.23 crore drug money....