Punjab Police crackdown arrests gangsters, seizes drugs, probes US-linked extortion

A multi‑phase enforcement drive by Punjab Police has resulted in the arrest of thousands of suspects and the seizure of large quantities of illicit substances. Operation Prahaar‑3, carried out over 16 days, saw 3,949 people taken into custody, including 42 known gangsters, 1,201 drug smugglers and 2,587 other wanted individuals. The raid netted 10.47 kg of heroin, 1.5 kg of opium, 30 kg of ganja, 259 kg of poppy husk and more than 21,000 illicit tablets, along with firearms, ammunition and sizeable drug‑related cash.

In Amritsar, an intelligence‑led operation seized 5.5 kg of heroin and two sophisticated pistols (a 9 mm Glock and a Star‑made .304) from four suspects living near the India‑Pakistan border. Punjab and Haryana police also conducted an international operation in Angola, arresting two gangsters wanted for murder and other crimes, with extradition proceedings now under way.

Separately, former SHO Gurinderjit Singh Nagra was arrested on extortion charges linked to a U.S. indictment. Investigators allege he demanded about $400,000 (roughly Rs 4 crore) from a Los Angeles‑based family by threatening false murder allegations, as part of a broader transnational crime network identified in the FBI’s “Operation Hard Ball.”