Chandigarh, July 4 -- To strengthen legal measures against drug-related crimes, the Punjab government has decided to arrest individuals who repeatedly sign surety bonds for those charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The new move pushed by the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), aims to curb the growing trend of people facilitating bail for drug offenders through a business model. District police have been instructed to identify individuals who have signed surety bonds for more than two cases involving drug-related offences, with such individuals now facing arrest. "It has been observed that signing bail bonds has become a business for certain individuals at the judicial complex level. This makes it easier for drug offenders to arrange witnesses for their bail," said an ANTF official, explaining the rationale behind the move. Under the law, a surety is typically a relative or friend of the accused who guarantees payment if the individual fails to appear in court. The law mandates that a surety must be an Indian citizen with a fixed place of residence. However, concerns have been raised about the increasing number of individuals who sign surety bonds as a business. According to a Punjab government legal officer, the law allows a person to sign a surety bond in only one case. "It has come to light that some people are exploiting the system by charging hefty amounts to sign surety bonds for repeat drug offenders, who often struggle to find supporters," the law officer revealed. A recent analysis by the ANTF found that some individuals have signed bail bonds in as many as 10 cases. This has raised concerns about the integrity of the legal process, especially in drug-related cases. A senior official from the ANTF said: "When a relative or friend signs a bail bond, there is a sense of social pressure on the accused not to reoffend. But when sureties are paid, the accused may feel no pressure to change their behaviour." Authorities say that in addition to targeting repeat surety signers, the government is exploring other measures to strengthen the legal framework and plug loopholes that drug offenders have been exploiting. This crackdown is part of the Punjab government's broader efforts to tackle the state's growing drug problem. The state's "Yudh Nashian Virudh" campaign, launched on March 1, has seen the registration of 12,341 FIRs and the arrest of 20,180 accused individuals over the past four months....