Goa Police marked a big week with two major moves. The state now boasts of a fresh fleet of vehicles to boost patrolling, and a state-wide crackdown on drugs and crime.
Goa Police received 46 new Bolero Neo Plus jeeps at a flag-off ceremony held at the Police Headquarters in Panaji. Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant attended the event, calling it the largest single addition of vehicles in the department’s history. The jeeps cost around Rs. 5.26 crore and were bought through the government’s e-Marketplace portal.
Of the 46 vehicles, 12 will be used only for highway patrolling, covering major routes like Patradevi-Mapusa-Panaji-Margao-Cuncolim-Canacona-Mormugao-Verna-Vasco-Old Goa-Ponda-Collem. These patrol vehicles will have GPS navigation and wireless communication, and each will carry three police personnel, including armed staff. The rest of the jeeps will go to Traffic Cells and District Police Stations across the state.
The ceremony also saw appointment letters handed out to 17 newly selected Police Sub-Inspectors, chosen through a transparent process that used video recording and RFID technology during physical tests.
In a separate, large-scale operation codenamed “Operation Prahar,” Goa Police carried out one of its biggest anti-narcotics drives in recent months. Over one night, police arrested 12 people and registered 10 cases under the NDPS Act.
Multiple police units, including the Anti-Terrorist Squad, Anti-Narcotics Cell, Coastal Police, Traffic Police and Crime Branch, took part in coordinated raids across the state. Drugs seized included LSD, cocaine, ketamine and ecstasy.
As part of the operation, police checked 11 trains on the Konkan Railway and South Western Railway routes, with sniffer dogs used to screen passengers and luggage at Thivim and Margao railway stations. Officers also checked over 120 interstate buses running between Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka, verifying more than 500 passengers. Additionally, more than 1,000 vehicles were checked at nakabandis set up across Goa.