Punjab’s escalating drug crisis sees a disturbing rise in female involvement in
trafficking and addiction.
CHANDIGARH: Punjab’s battle against drugs has taken a disturbing turn, with an alarming rise in the involvement of women in both the trafficking and consumption of narcotics. Recent data and high-profile arrests reveal how organised drug cartels are exploiting vulnerable women, luring them into a dark web of addiction and criminal activity. From being used as mules and couriers to rising as fullfledged operatives and even cartel leaders, women’s involvement in the drug trade is rapidly increasing—highlighting a disturbing shift in the state’s worsening narcotics crisis. The figures from the Punjab police highlight this concerning trend, with 407 women arrested across all 23 districts of Punjab since March 1, 2025, as part of the state-wide anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nasheyan Virudh’. Hoshiarpur leads the arrests with 43, followed by Sangrur (33), Jalandhar Rural (28), Ludhiana CP (27), Patiala (24), Barnala (21), Kapurthala (21), Faridkot (17), Gurdaspur (16), Muktsar (16), Moga (15), Amritsar CP (14), Ludhiana Rural (14), SBS Nagar (14), and Mansa (12). This figure adds to the already rising trend of female arrests in the state under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. From 2020 to 2022, the number of women arrested for drug smuggling in Punjab nearly doubled, rising from 788 to 1,448—making up almost 35% of all such arrests in India in 2022. Police records also highlight several high-profile arrests. Amandeep Kaur, a police constable known for her social media presence, was arrested with 17.71 grams of heroin in Bathinda and was later dismissed from service. In another shocking case, 27-year-old Mandeep Kaur from Ibban Kalan village was arrested as a key player in a crossborder smuggling ring, with authorities seizing 5.2 kilograms of heroin during the raid. Recently, in Tarn Taran district, 45-year-old Rupinder Kaur and her 21-yearold son Gaganpreet Singh were caught with 4 kilograms of heroin, smuggled into the village of Dhanoa Khurd, dangerously close to the India-Pakistan border. Data shared by the then Union Minister of Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, in the Rajya Sabha in December 2023 revealed that 3,164 women drug smugglers were arrested across the country under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act from 2020 to 2022. In 2022 alone, 1,448 women were arrested, making up nearly 35% of the total 4,146 women drug smugglers arrested nationwide that year. A senior police officer from the state expressed concerns over the increasing involvement of women in drug peddling. “Women are being used more frequently as couriers and even central operatives because they arouse less suspicion. Criminal networks are exploiting their poverty, addiction, and societal vulnerability.” A forensic analysis of 11,156 FIRs registered under the NDPS Act between April 2022 and February 2023 revealed that over 10% of the accused were women. Among the 1,533 women arrested, 1,408 were married, and most came from poor rural or semi-urban backgrounds—showcasing how economic hardship often intersects with criminal entrapment. In August 2024, Simran Kaur, who was already facing 15 criminal cases, was arrested with 6.65 kilograms of heroin and Rs 6 lakh in suspected drug money—believed to have been dropped via a drone from across the border. In another case, Poonam, known in drug circles as “Bhabi,” was sentenced to 15 years in prison for possessing 404 grams of heroin. She had a reputation for employing children to deliver drugs and had multiple past run-ins with law enforcement. A particularly haunting case involves Sonia alias Naachi, who, along with her two daughters, is alleged to have run a city-wide drug racket in Ludhiana for over 13 years. Already facing nine FIRs under the NDPS Act, Sonia was arrested in April 2025 with 4 grams of heroin and Rs 2.9 lakh in cash. The surge in female drug use is also being felt on the ground. A study from deaddiction centres reported an increase in female admissions. A 2024 report by the National Commission for Women (NCW) revealed that 60% of women arrested in Punjab’s drug-related cases came from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, with many being widows or single mothers surviving with little to no support. “In many cases, they were introduced to drugs by family members or intimate partners and were later lured or forced into trafficking,” said a psychiatrist. Case after case echoes the same theme: exploitation, poverty, and systemic failure. In February 2025, 35-year-old Rinki from Patiala—dubbed the “lady drug mafia” by local media—was arrested with 2 kilograms of heroin and Rs 5 lakh in cash. Rinki had 10 FIRs against her and allegedly controlled a vast supply chain operating across Patiala and neighbouring districts. Her arrest was hailed as a landmark in Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s “War on Drugs” campaign. Similarly, Manpreet Kaur, a 28-year-old single mother from Amritsar, was arrested in 2023 for smuggling 5 kilograms of heroin across the Indo-Pak border. She entered the trade after being abandoned by her drug-addict husband. In Ludhiana, three sisters—Pooja, Simran, and Neha—were arrested in 2024 for running a distribution racket targeting college campuses. According to social workers, the lack of genderspecific rehabilitation facilities makes the situation even more complex. Most treatment centres are illequipped to handle female patients, particularly those with children. Punjab’s first drug rehabilitation centre for women was established in Amritsar in 2016, but social workers argue that without proper support systems—such as counselling, skill-building, and legal aid—many women are likely to relapse or return to trafficking. With Punjab’s Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav, setting a firm deadline of May 31 to stamp out drug trafficking, the growing role of women in the drug trade has emerged as a significant challenge. “Punjab will be made drug-free—in the sense that narcotics will no longer be available on the streets,” Yadav said, adding that all district police chiefs, including Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) and Commissioners of Police (CPs), have been instructed to lead the crackdown. “We are committed to making Punjab free from drugs in the truest sense,” he asserted