Chandigarh, Jan 24: The Punjab Police has identified 61 high profile gangsters operating from international soil following a massive three day statewide crackdown aimed at dismantling organized crime syndicates. The initiative, titled Operation Prahaar, involved approximately 12,000 police personnel who executed raids at nearly 2,000 locations across the state to disrupt logistics, weapon supply chains, and communication networks used by these overseas entities.
Intelligence analysis conducted by the Anti Gangster Task Force indicates that a significant number of these fugitives are seeking refuge in Western nations. The United States holds the highest count with 17 suspected gangsters, followed by nine in the United Arab Emirates and six in Canada. Other identified locations include Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, Portugal, Thailand, and Pakistan.
State authorities confirmed that the 72 hour operation resulted in the arrest of 3,256 individuals linked to various criminal cartels. Police officials noted that the crackdown also led to the detention of 4,281 people in total, including 80 proclaimed offenders. The geographical data shows that 36 of the 61 identified gangsters hail from the Majha region, while others are spread across different parts of the state and neighboring regions like Rajasthan.
“The Punjab Police has made another unit, Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell, to focus exclusively on building extradition cases against gangsters operating from abroad,” Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said. He added that the new unit will be led by DIG Ashish Choudhary to streamline the process of bringing fugitives back to face justice.
During the coordinated raids, security forces recovered 69 weapons and a substantial quantity of narcotics, including 6.5kg of heroin and over 5,000 intoxicating pills. Officials also seized 72kg of poppy husk and 2.69 lakh in drug money. The DGP mentioned that Red Corner Notices have already been issued against 23 of the 61 targeted gangsters to facilitate international cooperation.
