Punjab Police Crackdown: On radar, gangsters’ relatives who help identify targets, mediate ransoms, shelter shooters

Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior Punjab Police officer, part of the team investigating Brar’s parents, said that the couple — Shamsher Singh and Preetpal Kaur — are known to have made multiple trips to Amritsar where they used to stay in hotels for several days at length.

“Our investigation revealed that Shamsher was on the lookout for flats on rent. It needs to be investigated why he needed flats on rent in Amritsar when he lives in Muktsar in a plush house. Was it to give shelter to shooters and those involved in carrying out extortions? We shall be interrogating him and his wife,” the officer said.

A Muktsar court on Tuesday had remanded the couple in three-day police custody.

According to Punjab Police, the relatives, friends and associates of overseas gangsters have been actively involved in carrying out reconnaissance of targets. “We have information that many of them are involved in mediation between gangsters and those who are being threatened to pay ransom. Many a times when the gangsters realise that their relatives or friends are under investigation, they manage to get them out of the country. We shall now be issuing Look Out Circulars (LOCs) for such individuals beforehand so that they cannot leave the country,” said GS Chauhan, DIG with Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of Punjab Police.

Muktsar SSP Abhimanyu Rana, whose teams arrested Brar’s parents, said, “Shamsher, then an Assistant Sub Inspector, was dismissed from Punjab Police service a few years back after being booked in a corruption case. He has no pension, only 12-13 marlas of land and yet has a good house and moves around in a SUV. He stays in hotels in Amritsar for 10 days at a stretch. How does he manage this lifestyle with zero source of income?”

Rana said they have approached multiple agencies to verify the financial background of the accused. “We have written to various agencies, including banks, the revenue department and the regional transport authority, to obtain details related to financial transactions, property and vehicles owned by the family,” the SSP said.

DIG Chauhan said a perception has been created that these gangsters are untouchable since they are sitting abroad. “In our ongoing drive, we have done meticulous investigation and mapped the activities of their relatives to arrive at definite conclusions. We expect retaliation from these gangsters in form of threats to police officers. Let them do it, this is very normal for us to deal with. But there is a marked decline in extortion threats since we launched this operation,” said Chauhan.

Speaking to The Indian Express, DGP Gaurav Yadav said the ongoing operation will not spare anyone who is acting in cahoots with the gangsters and doing their bidding. “We are determined to crack the nexus between overseas gangsters and their local abetters. This is two-pronged action where on one hand we are coordinating with central agencies for the deportation and extradition of gangsters from the countries that they operate from in North America, Europe, Middle East and South East Asia, and on the other we choke their network back home by nabbing their associates,” said the DGP.

The state police has already announced the setting up of an Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell, which will coordinate international efforts and issuance of Interpol notices and extradition requests.

Among the high-profile gangsters operating from abroad and indulging in extortion and killings in Punjab are Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dala; Lakhbir Singh alias Landa; Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda (based in Pakistan)’ Gurpreet Singh alias Goldy Dhillon (United States) who is also a prominent Lawrence Bishnoi associate.

These gangsters stand out due to their scale of operations, terrorist designations, and roles in blending organized crime with alleged terror/ISI elements. Others on the list of wanted criminals include Amritpal Bath, Gopi Nawanshahria and Mannu Agwan.

The police say the vast majority of gangsters originate from districts in the Majha and Doaba regions of Punjab while some are from Malwa. Most districts of origin are Amritsar (especially in rural areas around Jandiala Guru, Khankot, Jawanda, Ghanshampur, etc.), Tarn Taran (including areas like Naushehra Pannuan, Harike, Havelian, Dasuwal, Jawanda Kalan), Batala (Gurdaspur district, but often listed separately for villages like Gonspura, Shahbad, Chaura Madhra, Jourian Kalan, Dakoha) and Gurdaspur (including Agwan, Ghot Pokhar, Dalam Nangal).

The notoriety of these gangsters often stems from Canada and US bases, where diaspora networks amplify their reach. United States is the single largest base, for the overseas gangsters with around 15–18 individuals operating from there. United Arab Emirates (UAE), Canada, United Kingdom (UK), Germany, Portugal, Malaysia and Thailand also figure among the bases of these overseas gangsters.