Chandigarh, Aug 16 (IANS): Punjab Police on Tuesday said they have managed to arrest those proclaimed offenders in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act under a special drive who have been evading arrest since 1980s and 1990s.

With the special drive launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to arrest proclaimed offenders and absconders, the arrests in the past week witnessed a significant surge as the police managed to arrest 45 such absconders, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sukhchain Singh Gill told the media here.

So far, a total of 186 proclaimed offenders and absconders booked under NDPS Act, including 46 nabbed from out of state, have been arrested.

Gill said police teams have even managed to arrest those absconders who have been evading arrest since 1980s and 1990s.

Citing instances, he said Gurdeep Singh of Kotla Hoshiarpur, who was declared proclaimed offender in November 1985, has been arrested by the Ludhiana Commissionerate Police.

Likewise, Amarjit Singh, a proclaimed offender from 1988, has been arrested by Fatehgarh Sahib Police and Mohinder Singh of Dabalkheri village in Haryana, who was declared proclaimed offender in 1989, has been arrested by Sangrur Police.

Similarly, at least three nabbed proclaimed offender are those, who have been evading arrest since the 1990s, he added.

Giving weekly updates on drugs, the IGP said Punjab Police have arrested 335 drug smugglers or suppliers after registering 251 first information reports (FIRs), including 22 commercial, under the NDPS Act across the state in the past one week.