Chandigarh: The Punjab government has announced the establishment of a dedicated State Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) Police Station in Rajpura, Patiala district, to intensify its action against organised crime across the state.
The specialised AGTF unit will exercise jurisdiction throughout Punjab and is aimed at strengthening efforts to dismantle gangster networks operating in various districts.
The move comes amid ongoing crackdowns on criminal and narcotics networks. Earlier, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police busted a cross-border narco-smuggling network and arrested two operatives, recovering 7 kg and 630 grams of heroin along with Rs 21,800 in suspected drug money.
Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said in a post on X that preliminary investigations revealed the accused were in touch with a Dubai-based handler through virtual numbers. The handler allegedly coordinated cross-border consignments of heroin and provided instructions regarding pickup points and distribution channels.
He added that the handler is also linked to multiple narcotics networks and a major case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act involving the seizure of 43 kg of heroin. A First Information Report has been registered at Chheharta police station in Amritsar under the NDPS Act, and further investigation is underway to establish forward and backward linkages of the network.
In a parallel statewide drive, Punjab Police arrested more than 1,200 individuals on the first day of ‘Operation Prahaar-2’, a 72-hour crackdown conducted under the ‘Gangstran Te Vaar’ campaign aimed at curbing gangster activity. According to official data, police teams carried out 2,760 raids at locations associated with wanted criminals.
The operation was launched under the supervision of DGP Gaurav Yadav, following directions from Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, with senior officers from Police Headquarters overseeing the action in different districts.
In a separate development, Shimla Police uncovered an inter-state drug trafficking network and arrested its alleged kingpin, Vijay alias David alias Bihari, from Zirakpur in Punjab. The accused is reportedly linked to multiple NDPS cases registered in the district.
Authorities said coordinated efforts between state police units will continue to target organised crime and drug trafficking networks operating in and beyond Punjab.
