In a major crackdown on the drug trade, 12 residential properties were sealed in Ambala City on Wednesday during a joint operation carried out by the Ambala Police and the Municipal Corporation in Deha Colony, under the jurisdiction of the Ambala City police station.

According to the police, the action is part of an ongoing campaign to curb the drug menace in the district. The owners and occupants of the identified properties had earlier been served notices to vacate the premises, but failed to comply with the directions. To ensure law and order during the operation, heavy police deployment was made and a duty magistrate was appointed.

A police spokesperson said that most of the property owners have multiple criminal cases registered against them, with offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act being the most common.

Among them is Vicky alias Gattu, a resident of the colony, who alone faces 42 criminal cases, mainly related to the NDPS Act and theft. Several women residing in the colony are also facing NDPS-related cases. One of them has already spent around eight months in jail after action was initiated against her under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act.

The spokesperson said the police are not only arresting alleged drug traffickers but are also taking action against properties allegedly acquired through the illegal drug trade by demolishing or sealing them.

SHO Ambala City Sunita Dhaka, who led the operation, said 12 houses had been identified for the action. “The owners of these houses are facing multiple cases under the NDPS Act. Most of the occupants have been booked in cases related to drug trafficking and theft,” she said.

SP Ambala Ajit Singh Shekhawat said strict legal action was being taken against those booked under the NDPS Act and that the campaign against drug traffickers would continue. He appealed to residents to share information about illegal drug activities and other suspicious movements with the police, assuring that the identity of informants would be kept confidential.