13,355 held in anti-gangster drive so far; Sunday raids at 477 locations, 88 smugglers arrested
Chandigarh: Punjab Police has frozen over ₹600 crore worth of illegally acquired properties linked to drug traffickers in the last two years, accounting for more than half of the nearly ₹1,000 crore worth of such assets frozen in Punjab since 2017, officials said on Monday.
According to police, assets worth about ₹330 crore were frozen in 2024 and around ₹270 crore in 2025, reflecting an intensified push in recent years to dismantle the financial infrastructure sustaining the narcotics trade in the state. Officials said the bulk of the asset-freezing action has taken place in the last two years, which they said reflects the government’s sharpened focus on targeting the financial networks behind drug trafficking.
Investigations are now tracking the proceeds of drug crime through bank accounts, shell companies, benami holdings, residential houses, commercial establishments, agricultural land and luxury vehicles, which are being identified and frozen under relevant provisions of law.
A senior Punjab Police officer said the crackdown on illegally acquired wealth is aimed at dismantling the incentive structure sustaining the drug trade. “We are not only catching smugglers but dismantling the financial empires built on drug money. Drug trafficking thrives on the promise of huge illegal profits. By targeting properties and assets created through narcotics trafficking, we are weakening the economic foundations of the drug trade,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, the ongoing anti-gangster campaign ‘Gangstran Te Vaar’ has so far led to the arrest of 13,355 individuals across Punjab. As part of the drive, police teams on Sunday conducted 477 raids at identified and mapped locations linked to associates of gangsters across the state. During the operation, 147 individuals were arrested and two weapons recovered. Police also took preventive action against 77 persons, while 80 individuals were verified and released after questioning. In addition, nine proclaimed offenders were arrested, officials said.
Parallelly, the anti-drug campaign “Yudh Nashian Virudh”, which entered its 372nd day, saw 88 drug smugglers arrested on Sunday. Police recovered 1.2 kg heroin, 155 intoxicant tablets or capsules and ₹50,150 drug money from their possession. With this, the total number of drug smugglers arrested under the campaign has reached 52,687 in 372 days, officials said. As part of de-addiction efforts, 17 persons were persuaded to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment, they added.
Punjab Police has urged citizens to share information related to gangsters and criminal activity anonymously through the Anti-Gangster Helpline (93946-93946).
