KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
29-Jun-2026
On June 29, the 160th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangstran Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahar— the police conducted 574 raids, arrested 393 persons and recovered two weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 160 individuals, while four proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
29-Jun-2026
On June 29, Punjab Police, on day 485 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 70 drug smugglers, and seized 4.9 kg of heroin, 224 intoxicant pills and INR 4200 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
29-Jun-2026
The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) on June 29 arrested Punjab-based gangster Gaurav Sharma alias Goru Bacha and recovered an illegal weapon from his possession, near the Sirsa grain market in Sirsa district in Haryana. Police suspect he had come to the city to carry out a criminal act but was apprehended before executing his plan. Preliminary investigations indicate that Gaurav operates his own gang and is not currently affiliated with any other criminal outfit, while further questioning is underway to determine the purpose of his visit and any local links.
29-Jun-2026
Police on June 29 arrested two brothers, Sandeep Singh and Akashdeep Singh and recovered 25 grams of heroin along with suspected drug proceeds from their possession, during a routine patrol near the New Parmanand Cremation Ground in Taragarh, Pathankot district.
29-Jun-2026
On June 29, a team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) interrogated Maninder Singh alias Bobby for nearly two hours at the Central Modern Jail in Faridkot district. Maninder, an accused in the grenade attack on the residence of Jalandhar-based social media influencer Navdeep Singh alias Roger Sandhu, has been lodged in the Faridkot jail since his transfer from Jalandhar district. The case, initially investigated by the Punjab Police, was later transferred to the NIA after the alleged involvement of Pakistan-based operative Shahzad Bhatti emerged during the investigation.
28-Jun-2026
On June 28, the 159th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangstran Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahar— the police conducted 580 raids, arrested 320 persons and recovered 10 weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 147 individuals, while one proclaimed offender (PO) was also arrested during the operation.
28-Jun-2026
On June 28, Punjab Police, on day 484 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 71 drug smugglers, and seized 776 grams of heroin, 2.9 kg of ganja, 310 intoxicant pills and INR 23,040 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
28-Jun-2026
Bollywood filmmaker Rohit Shetty has reportedly received a fresh extortion threat of INR 200 million through an audio clip allegedly linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The message warned that the earlier firing outside his Juhu residence was only a "trailer" and threatened that any future attack would target him directly. Mumbai Crime Branch has sent the audio for forensic examination to verify its authenticity and identify the speaker. Investigators suspect the voice may belong to Shubham Lonkar, a wanted accused in the Baba Siddique murder case, though this has not been officially confirmed.
27-Jun-2026
On June 27, a day after the firing at the office of Laxmi Property Dealer in Rajpura, Patiala district, gangster Goldy Dhillon claimed responsibility through a viral social media post, which also threatened Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Neena Mittal and her family. The post, purportedly issued in the name of the Goldy Dhillon gang, has not been independently verified, and Punjab Police have not confirmed its authenticity or any link to the June 26 attack.
27-Jun-2026
According to reports, Amritsar has emerged as Punjab's principal arms-smuggling hotspot, with security agencies recovering 74 pistols, an AK-47 rifle, two sub-machine guns, and hundreds of live cartridges from the border sector during the first 27 days of June 2026. The latest seizure occurred on June 27, when Amritsar Police busted a weapons-smuggling module and recovered 10 pistols. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar attributed the repeated recoveries to the persistent use of drones and other covert routes for cross-border smuggling, adding that the sophisticated weapons were intended for criminal gangs and organised crime networks. Police officials also indicated that the Punjab-Pakistan border continues to serve as a key corridor for smuggling weapons and narcotics, with many of the firearms subsequently trafficked to other parts of the country.
27-Jun-2026
According to the annual Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) report for 2025, India recorded a record 305 drone-related narcotics cases, resulting in the seizure of 468 kg of high-purity contraband. This represented a 98 per cent increase in the quantity of contraband seized over the previous year and a 100-fold rise in drone-related incidents since 2021, when only three such cases were registered. The India-Pakistan border remained the epicentre of this cross-border trafficking, with Punjab accounting for 298 of the 305 drone-related cases, primarily involving high-purity heroin and methamphetamine, underscoring the state's centrality to the evolving drone-enabled smuggling threat. The report also highlighted a 77 per cent increase in pharmaceutical drug diversion between 2021 and 2025. Annual seizures peaked at 243,111 kg before declining marginally to 237,390 kg. Punjab emerged as the worst-affected state in the diversion of pharmaceutical drugs, with the seizure of 895,508 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup, alongside widespread illegal distribution of buprenorphine, tramadol, and alprazolam.
27-Jun-2026
The radical outfit Waris Punjab De held a meeting in Faridkot on June 27 to outline its political strategy for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, announcing that its jailed chief and Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament (MP), Amritpal Singh, would be projected as the party's Chief Ministerial candidate.
27-Jun-2026
According to police, smuggling networks along the India–Pakistan border in Punjab have adopted new tactics to evade detection during drone-based contraband drops. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar stated that smugglers on the Indian side play loud DJ music to mask the sound of drones and the impact of consignments landing, making detection more difficult for security personnel and local residents. Investigations have also revealed the increasing use of larger drones with payload capacities of 10–15 kg, enabling smugglers to transport heavier consignments in fewer sorties, thereby reducing the risk of detection.
27-Jun-2026
According to the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Annual Report 2025, Punjab, Rajasthan, and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir remain highly vulnerable to cross-border drug trafficking from Pakistan as Punjab alone accounted for the seizure of 2,086 kg of heroin in 2025—58 per cent of the nationwide total of 3,567 kg. The report also highlights a growing shift towards drone-based smuggling across the India–Pakistan border, particularly in Punjab, as traffickers adapt to intensified ground surveillance. It notes that this technological shift is outpacing current enforcement capabilities along the border.
27-Jun-2026
Police on June 27 arrested a person, identified as Raja and seized 308 grams of heroin along with INR 60,150 drug money from his possession, from the Bihari Colony area on Tajpur Road in Ludhiana district.
27-Jun-2026
Bathinda Police on June 27 arrested Sandeep Singh, the third accused in the June 22 petrol bomb attack on a homoeopathic clinic near the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office in Bathinda district. His arrest followed the earlier detention of two other suspects in a joint operation with the Counter Intelligence wing. Police said Sandeep had allegedly come into contact with a foreign-based criminal network, while his suspected links with Pakistan-based operative Shahzad Bhatti are still under investigation. The clinic owner's wife also reportedly received a WhatsApp call and messages from a person claiming to be Bhatti shortly after the attack.
27-Jun-2026
Amritsar Rural Police on June 27 arrested a person, identified as Gursahib Singh and recovered 1 kg of heroin and a China-made .30 bore pistol from his possession, in Hardo Rattan village, Amritsar district.
27-Jun-2026
Kathunangal Police on June 27 recovered 2 kg of heroin concealed in a vacant plot along the GT Road service lane in the Kathunangal area of Amritsar district.
26-Jun-2026
On June 26, two masked assailants on a motorcycle opened fire at the office of Laxmi Property Dealer near an underbridge in Rajpura, Patiala district, firing around eight rounds before fleeing. No injuries were reported. According to eyewitnesses, one of the attackers entered the office, asked for owner Ramesh Pahuja, and, after learning he was absent, drew a revolver and opened fire before escaping with his accomplice.
26-Jun-2026
The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) on June 26 arrested two alleged drug smugglers, identified as Balraj Singh and Sukhwinder Singh, and seized 6.76 kg of heroin from their possession near Jiwa Arain village in Ferozepur district. Police stated that the accused were in contact with Pakistani smugglers and were attempting to receive a large heroin consignment at a local dhaba. Acting on intelligence inputs, the ANTF laid a trap and arrested the duo when they arrived at the location on a motorcycle.