India, May 3 -- 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 th...