As per official records, police recovered 2,086 illicit weapons, 564 vehicles used in criminal activity, 79 kg of heroin and nearly Rs 5 crore in suspected drug proceeds.
Punjab police recover weapons and drugs during anti-gangster operations, targeting cross-border links and dismantling organised crime networks (Photo: File)
CHANDIGARH: Punjab is witnessing an unprecedented crackdown on organised crime, with gangsters increasingly on the run or seeking shelter outside the state. Since April 2021, the Punjab Police along with Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) have arrested 2,536 criminals and "neutralised" another 24.
Officials said 962 gangster or criminal modules have been dismantled across Punjab. In the process, police teams recovered 2,086 illicit weapons, 564 vehicles used in criminal activity, 79 kg of heroin and nearly Rs 5 crore in suspected drug proceeds.
The campaign has involved frequent armed confrontations. Data made public by the police shows there have been 324 "exchanges of fire" between law-enforcement teams and criminals over this period—roughly one shootout every four days.
In a recent operation on the Dera Bassi-Ambala highway, four operatives associated with the gang led by Goldy Dhillon were arrested following a gun battle with AGTF and Mohali police. Pistols and ammunition were recovered from them.
Just days earlier, a "terror-gangster module" allegedly linked to foreign handlers was busted by police in a shootout in Ludhiana's Ladhowal area. Two accused were injured and detained; authorities seized two Chinese-made grenades, several advanced pistols and live rounds. They say the group had been sent by Pakistan-based handlers to carry out grenade and target-killing operations across Punjab.
In another sweep, two members of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang were arrested in Hoshiarpur. Police recovered four high-end pistols after acting on intelligence that the duo was involved in a shooting at a medical shop and allegedly operating under instructions from a foreign handler. A separate recent operation by the AGTF led to the capture of two operatives from the Davinder Bambiha gang near Bathinda. Six pistols and live ammunition were seized. Police say the men were part of an arms-supply chain for the gang.
Officials says these are not isolated raids but part of a sustained strategy under the current government to dismantle criminal networks, choke their resources and deny them safe havens. According to the police, many gangsters are now shifting base to other states out of fear, signalling a weakening of their hold in Punjab.
AAP Chief Spokesperson Kuldeep Dhaliwal has reiterated that the support once extended to such criminals by past political dispensations will no longer be tolerated.
Experts caution, however, that while these operations underline police resolve, long-term success will depend on effective prosecution, consistent dismantling of supply networks and tackling socio-economic conditions that fuel gangsterism. Convictions, disruption of cross-border smuggling routes, and rehabilitation of affected communities will be crucial.
But for now, Punjab appears to be in the midst of what authorities describe as a decisive push to reclaim the state from organised criminals.
