Chandigarh, February 11 More than 3,200 people were arrested in Punjab during a 72-hour operation against wanted criminals, police said on Wednesday.
The operation, known as "Operation Prahar-2," which began on Monday, saw police conducting 8,278 raids at locations linked to wanted criminals. The operation was launched by Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav.
Senior officers visited different police districts to lead the operation, which involved over 2,000 police teams comprising 12,000 personnel.
Sharing the results of the operation, Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said that 7,498 individuals were apprehended across the state, of whom 3,260 have been arrested. These arrests included 135 proclaimed offenders.
Police teams also recovered 47 weapons, 4.8 kg of heroin, 3.6 kg of opium, 42,797 intoxicant pills, 68 kg of poppy husk, and ₹30 lakhs in cash during the operation, he said.
Shukla added that police teams also made 1,450 preventive arrests, while 2,788 people were verified and released after questioning.
Yadav said that the 72-hour operation achieved its objectives beyond expectations, and the "Gangstran Te Vaar" (crackdown against gangsters) campaign will continue until Punjab is free of this menace.
People can anonymously report information related to wanted criminals and gangsters, and also share tips on crime and criminal activity, through the Anti-Gangster Helpline number 93946-93946.
Police teams continued with their anti-drug drive "Yudh Nashian Virudh" for the 347th day, with 164 drug smugglers arrested on Wednesday and 11.9 kg of heroin, along with 344 intoxicant tablets/capsules, recovered from their possession.
This brings the total number of drug smugglers arrested to 49,129 so far, police said. This anti-drug drive was launched in March 2025.
