Seventy-one of them were detained under the PIT-NDPS Act until September 23 this year, more than 10 times the seven detentions recorded in 2024, according to a press note shared from UP Police headquarters on Thursday. Uttar Pradesh Police have significantly stepped up the use of preventive detention and financial provisions against habitual drug traffickers.
The PIT-NDPS Act provides for preventive detention of persons involved in illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The number stood at 19 in 2025, according to figures released by the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), according to it. Of this year’s 71 detentions, ANTF initiated proceedings against 33 habitual traffickers, while the district police handled the remaining cases. The police have also targeted drug-linked assets worth about ₹ 78.5 crore in 69 cases this year under Sections 68(E) and 68(F) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. ANTF accounted for 40 such cases involving assets worth around ₹ 13 crore, while the state police reported 38 cases involving about ₹ 68.5 crore. In comparison, ANTF acted against assets worth ₹ 1 crore in four cases in 2024 and ₹ 17 crore in 28 cases in 2025. Sections 68(E) and 68(F) provide for action against properties believed to have been illegally acquired through drug trafficking, subject to the prescribed legal process. The state police said the measures were part of its broader objective of making Uttar Pradesh drug-free by 2029.
Among those against whom preventive detention proceedings have been initiated are Gurmel Singh, Bhola Prasad, Sanjeev Rana, Vibhor Rana, Shermani Patel and Parmanand alias Pappu, police said.
