Punjab Police breaks Pakistan-backed ‘Drone-Drugs-Gun’ network, freezes assets worth Rs 65 crore under ‘War on Gangsters’ campaign

In a major action against organized crime in the border villages of Punjab, Tarn Taran Police has taken strict action against the drug smuggling network linked to Pakistan under the ‘Zero Tolerance against Gangsters’ policy. This network was providing financial assistance to gangsters in the state to run their illegal businesses.

Arrest of 630 persons in last three months

Under the ‘Gangsters Te War’ campaign launched by the Bhagwant Mann government, the district police registered 490 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in the last three months, arrested 630 persons and recovered 47.527 kg of heroin.

Giving information in this regard, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Tarn Taran Surinder Lamba said that despite cross-border challenges, the state police has taken concrete action against the gangster network which is receiving logistics support from Pakistan. He said, “So far, assets worth Rs 65 crore have been frozen in a year, most of which is the result of actions taken in the last three months. These assets were directly or indirectly linked to gangsters and drug smugglers and through them they were running their activities. Due to the nearly 102 km long border with Pakistan, the neighboring country remains active in sending narcotics and weapons through drones. In recent times, the methods of smuggling have changed rapidly, but to curb the crime, The district police has adopted a target based strategy.”

In the year 2024, 313 cases were registered, 358 arrests were made and 115 kg of heroin was recovered. While last year, 1,334 cases were registered, 1,662 arrests were made and more than 244 kg of heroin was recovered.

The ‘Drone-Drugs-Gun’ network has emerged as a high-tech operation model in the border areas. Through the ‘Gangsters Te War’ campaign, the police has strengthened its hold against such networks. Gangs are strengthening their economic structure through drug trafficking and supply of illegal weapons and are recruiting local youth into their gangs to commit major crimes.

According to police officials, drugs and weapons are continuously being dropped in Indian territory through drones. These consignments are collected from the border areas and transported to various cities, which has become a major source of income for organized crime gangs.

What did SSP Lamba say?

SSP Lamba said, “Small drones can lift weight from 0.5 to 12 kg, while larger drones can carry up to 25 kg of material in a single flight. These drones can enter Indian territory up to 5 to 15 km, which is a serious challenge for security agencies.” He said that despite being the second line of security, the district police has achieved concrete results through intelligence-based operations.

The district police have so far registered 1,736 cases and arrested more than 2,200 persons under the ‘War Against Drugs’ and ‘Gangsters Te War’ campaigns. During the recently launched ‘Operation Prahar’, 236 accused were arrested in six days, including 10 fugitive criminals. During this period 3.5 kg of heroin was recovered. 50 teams were deployed in the operation, each team consisting of 10 policemen.

He further said, “Anti-drone system has been installed to monitor suspicious activities and patrolling is being done round the clock. The recovered drones are equipped with cameras, GPS systems and pre-fed route maps, which shows the technical capability of smugglers. Recently, a consignment of 10 kg of heroin has also been recovered. Gangsters are strengthening their network with the earnings from drugs and weapons. Local people are used for ransom. Threats are made through phone calls and incidents like firing are used to spread fear.”

In recent operations under the ‘Gangsters Te War’ campaign, the police have arrested several accused, including two shooters, financier, operator and 14 associates. Monitoring of social media accounts and banking transactions has also been intensified, where in many cases accounts have been revealed to be used in the name of other people.

SSP Lamba confirmed that, “The state police is now using Artificial Intelligence to counter the modern technology used by gangsters. ‘Gangsters Te Vaar’ and ‘Yudh Nashon Virudh’ campaigns are playing a vital role in breaking these networks and stopping drug smuggling.” Apart from this, drones, weapons, motorcycles and mobile phones have also been seized.