Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Karuna Raju said here on Wednesday that a total of 3,54,075 licensed gun owners in the state have deposited their firearms ahead of the February 20, 2022 assembly elections. He said that this figure included 91.10 per cent of the total licensed arms in Punjab.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) official also said that 27 unlicensed weapons have been seized in the state. Raju said that persons possessing licensed arms, including security personnel in nationalized, private banks, would have to approach the respective Deputy Commissioners to get the exemption.
According to the official, valuables worth Rs 46.66 crore have been seized in Punjab since the Model Code of Conduct came into force. He said that the surveillance teams have seized 6.60 lakh liters of liquor worth Rs 2 crore. Similarly, narcotics worth Rs 44.49 crore and unaccounted cash worth Rs 16 lakh have been seized during this period.
The CEO said 1,088 vulnerable settlements have been identified with 2,376 potential firefighters. Heu said that preventive action has already been initiated against 1,129 persons, while the rest will also be arrested. He said that 2,221 non-bailable warrants have been executed. Raju said that a total of 6,339 nakas are operational across the state.
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