Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
Punjab Police has concluded Operation Prahaar-3.0, a 16-day statewide crackdown under the 'Gangstran Te Vaar' campaign launched by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eliminate gangsterism and organised crime from the state.
The intelligence-led operation targeted gangsters, their associates, drug traffickers, and wanted criminals across all police ranges and commissionerates. During the drive, police conducted 5,448 raids at suspected locations and deployed more than 10,400 personnel in over 2,000 police teams.
According to Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, the operation was designed to strengthen public confidence, increase police visibility, and dismantle organised crime and the drug-gangster nexus through coordinated, intelligence-based enforcement.
Police registered 958 FIRs, arrested 3,949 individuals, including 42 gangsters and their associates, 1,201 drug smugglers and peddlers, 119 proclaimed offenders, and 2,587 wanted accused. Preventive action was also taken against 1,520 persons, while 262 vehicles were impounded.
The operation led to the recovery of 12 illegal weapons, 10.47 kg heroin, 30 kg ganja, 1.50 kg opium, 259 kg poppy husk, over 21,700 intoxicant tablets and capsules, 1,243.5 litres of illicit liquor, 646.25 litres of lahan, and ₹4.03 lakh in suspected drug money. Police also recovered stolen vehicles, mobile phones, ammunition, and other incriminating materials.
Special DGP (Law and Order) Praveen Sinha said the operation dismantled several criminal networks involved in extortion, vehicle theft, illegal de-addiction centres, counterfeit liquor, and unlawful pharmaceutical drug sales, delivering a major blow to the ecosystem supporting organised crime.
DGP Gaurav Yadav reiterated that the 'Gangstran Te Vaar' campaign will continue until Punjab is free from gangsterism and the drug menace. He also praised Khanna, Bathinda, Jalandhar Commissionerate, Hoshiarpur, and Mansa for their outstanding enforcement performance, while Hoshiarpur, Amritsar Commissionerate, Jalandhar Commissionerate, Tarn Taran, and Moga were recognised for significant recoveries under the NDPS Act.
Punjab Police has appealed to citizens to support the anti-gangster campaign by anonymously sharing information about gangsters and organised crime through the Anti-Gangster Helpline: 93946-93946, assuring complete confidentiality for informants.
