Chandigarh: In one of the most extensive anti-crime offensives in recent years, the Bhagwant Mann Government has intensified its crackdown on organised crime through the ongoing “Gangstran Te Vaar” campaign, with Punjab Police carrying out large-scale, coordinated operations across Punjab aimed at dismantling gangster networks, narco syndicates, and their support systems.
What does the data say?
Official data highlights the scale of the drive, with Punjab Police conducting 44,787 raids between January 20 and March 15, 2026, marking a sustained and aggressive push to break the backbone of organised crime.
How many are arrested?
These operations have resulted in the arrest of 14,894 individuals, including 14,561 wanted criminals and 333 associates and relatives linked to gangster networks. The police have also apprehended 714 proclaimed offenders who had been evading arrest for long periods, reinforcing the depth and reach of the campaign.
What is the strategy?
Alongside enforcement, a strong preventive strategy has been deployed to stop criminal activity before it unfolds. A total of 7,494 individuals have been placed under preventive detention, including 7,210 wanted persons and 284 associates, ensuring that potential threats are neutralised in advance and disrupting planned criminal operations.
The magnitude of recoveries during this period underlines both the scale of the threat and the effectiveness of the response. Punjab Police have seized 301 firearms and 125 sharp-edged weapons, along with 921 rounds of ammunition and 81 magazines. In a significant development, 2.5 kg of explosives and 6 hand grenades have also been recovered, pointing to the dangerous capabilities of these networks.
What was recovered?
Crucially, the crackdown has also exposed and disrupted the logistical and technological backbone of criminal operations. Enforcement teams have confiscated Rs 45.6 lakh in cash and 262 grams of gold, along with 4,070 mobile phones, 548 vehicles, and 10 drones, indicating the sophisticated systems being used to coordinate and execute criminal activities.
What did the officials say?
Senior officials emphasise that this campaign represents a decisive shift from reactive policing to a proactive and systemic dismantling of organised crime ecosystems. The focus is not limited to arresting gangsters, but extends to targeting their financial channels, communication networks, and supply chains, ensuring that the entire structure sustaining crime is weakened.
What is Gangstran Te Vaar?
The results reinforce the core objective of the “Gangstran Te Vaar” campaign, which is to make Punjab safer by breaking the nexus between gangsters, their aides, and cross-border or overseas handlers. With a clear zero-tolerance approach under CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is ensuring that no criminal network operates with impunity.
Security experts note that the consistency and intensity of these operations are weakening gangster and narco networks, sending a strong deterrent message across Punjab.
With the campaign continuing at full force, Punjab Police remain committed to sustaining this relentless crackdown until the backbone of organised crime in Punjab is completely dismantled.
