Punjab Police to launch ‘Operation Prahar-2’ against wanted criminals

The Punjab Police will launch Operation Prahar-2 , a 72-hour statewide crackdown on wanted criminals, beginning from today, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav announced on Sunday.

Addressing reporters, the DGP said the operation is aimed at strengthening public safety and instilling a sense of security among citizens. “Our objective is to make Punjab safe, secure and crime-free. There is zero tolerance for organised crime and gangster activity,” he said.

Around 12,000 police personnel , organised into nearly 2,000 teams , will be deployed across the state during the operation. Senior officers will remain on the ground to personally supervise checking, patrolling and other core policing duties, Yadav said.

Fixed checkpoints will be established in every district for round-the-clock vehicle checks, with a special focus on two-wheelers. The DGP added that detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) have been issued to ensure swift response to any incident, with emphasis on the effective use of wireless communication networks.

Operation Prahar-2 follows the first phase of Operation Prahar , launched on January 20 to dismantle the ecosystem of organised crime. Highlighting the outcomes, Yadav said 5,290 persons have been arrested so far , while 2,972 individuals have been placed under preventive custody .

Official data underscores the scale of organised crime in Punjab. In 2025 alone, police made nearly 40,000 arrests and dismantled 416 organised criminal modules , with 992 gangsters taken into custody. Since 2022, more than 85,000 drug smugglers have been arrested and over 63,000 narcotics cases registered. Police records show 569 FIRs related to gangster threats and extortion between January 2023 and March 2025. While Punjab’s overall crime rate remains lower than the national average , offences linked to gang networks, drugs and extortion continue to pose a serious law-and-order challenge, prompting sustained statewide operations.

Giving an update on the ongoing anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ (war against drugs), the DGP said that since March 2025, police have registered about 34,000 FIRs and made nearly 45,000 arrests , including around 3,000 major drug suppliers and 65 hawala operators . He added that over 2,150 kg of heroin has been seized so far.

The DGP said detailed instructions have been issued to all units to ensure operational preparedness and maximum utilisation of manpower to curb crime across the state.