KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
21-Mar-2026
Police on March 21 arrested two persons, Akashdeep Singh alias Mintu and Balraj Singh for allegedly spying for Pakistan in Sri Muktsar Sahib district. The accused are alleged to have leaked sensitive information related to the Army and cantonment areas to Pakistan-based handlers, including photographs and videos from the “SwaRaksha Mahotsav 2025” held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
21-Mar-2026
The Counter Intelligence wing of Punjab Police, in coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF), on March 21 recovered 6.5 kg of heroin from agricultural fields near a border outpost at Mahatam Nagar village in Fazilka district.
21-Mar-2026
Police on March 21 arrested two persons, identified as Swarn Singh alias Kaka and Sukhdev Singh alias Sassi and seized 1.052 kg of heroin from their possession in Ferozepur district.
21-Mar-2026
Police on March 21 arrested a man, identified as Sukhdev Singh and recovered 2.72 kg of heroin from his possession in Ferozepur district.
21-Mar-2026
On March 21, police recovered 1.9 kg of heroin near Lanegana village in Ferozepur district.
21-Mar-2026
Punjab Police’s investigation into the murder of property dealer Charanpreet Singh Chinni—shot dead in broad daylight in Sector 9, Chandigarh on March 18—has revealed that the main accused, Rajan alias Piyush Pehalwan, was involved in multiple killings and extortion-related attacks across Punjab after returning from Malaysia. Pehalwan and another shooter, Pritam Shah, were arrested during a joint operation by the Punjab Police Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) and Haryana Police Special Task Force (STF), on March 19 in Kaithal, Haryana,
21-Mar-2026
The Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) on March 21 arrested two persons, identified as Jacky Kumar and Vikas Arora, and recovered two illegal country-made .32 bore pistols, magazines, and four live cartridges from them in Bathinda district.
21-Mar-2026
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann on March 21 blamed opposition parties for fostering gangsterism in the state, alleging that some leaders may have had prior knowledge of certain criminal incidents. He claimed that gangster culture thrived under previous regimes due to political patronage, allowing criminals to operate with impunity. Mann also referred to the Nabha jailbreak, noting that Sukhbir Singh Badal commented on the incident within half an hour of it becoming public.
21-Mar-2026
Delhi Police on March 21 arrested a suspected sharpshooter and an alleged arms supplier linked to the Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu gang, recovering two country-made pistols and five live cartridges in two separate incidents. The main accused, Sumit Punia, a resident of Mahendergarh, Haryana, was arrested along with a country-made semi-automatic pistol and five live rounds, in Dwarka, Delhi. Based on his disclosure, police also arrested the alleged arms supplier, Badar Islam and recovered a country-made pistol from his possession, from Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh.
20-Mar-2026
On March 20, the 59th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 599 raids, arrested 225 persons. Preventive action was taken against 59 individuals and five proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
20-Mar-2026
On March 20, Punjab Police, on day 384 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 182 drug smugglers, and seized 5.1 kg of heroin, 1717 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 88,603 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
20-Mar-2026
Sadar Police on March 20 arrested a man, identified as Neeraj and seized 15 grams of intoxicating powder in Hoshiarpur district.
20-Mar-2026
Police on March 20 arrested a man, identified as Rajat and seized a large cache of intoxicating tablets from him, in Shankar Nagar, Hoshiarpur district.
20-Mar-2026
Police on March 20 arrested a person, identified as Mandeep Singh alias Aadu and recovered 79 grams of intoxicating powder along with a large number of prohibited capsules from his possession in Hoshiarpur district.
19-Mar-2026
On March 19, the 58th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 426 raids, arrested 207 persons and recovered three sharp edged weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 80 individuals, while 101 persons were verified and released after questioning. Six proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
19-Mar-2026
On March 19, Punjab Police, on day 383 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 200 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 248 drug smugglers, and seized 710 grams of heroin, 20 kg of poppy husk, 2655 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 14,150 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
19-Mar-2026
The Amritsar Commissionerate on March 19 arrested six members of a cross-border illegal arms smuggling module, including one juvenile, identified as Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi, Munish Kumar alias Jerry, Saroop Singh alias Roop, Chamkaur Singh, Vansh Sharma, and a minor, and seized five Glock 9mm pistols and two .30 bore pistols from their possession in Amritsar district. Police. Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused were in direct contact with a foreign-based handler operating from Portugal.
19-Mar-2026
The Punjab Police’s Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), in a joint operation with the Haryana Police Special Task Force on March 19, arrested two shooters, Rajan alias Piyush Pehalwan and Pritam Shah and recovered a .30 bore PX-5 pistol, a .30 calibre Chinese pistol, a .32 calibre pistol, and ammunition from their possession in Kaithal district of Haryana after a brief exchange of fire. The accused were wanted in connection with the murder of a property dealer in Sector 9, Chandigarh.
19-Mar-2026
The Amritsar Rural Police on March 19 arrested three persons, Lovepreet Singh, Simarpreet Singh, and Balwant Singh and seized 4.3 kg of heroin along with a .30 bore pistol and four live cartridges from their possession in Mehta, Amritsar district. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) alleged that one of the accused was an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) youth leader. However, AAP denied the claim, stating that Lovepreet Singh of Kot Hriday Ram village had been “suspended” from the party in January over alleged anti-party activities.
19-Mar-2026
An accused shooter, identified as Jaswinder Singh alias Jassi, wanted in connection with a firing incident in Jagatpuri last year in an alleged extortion bid at the behest of a Punjab-based gangster, was arrested following a raid in Punjab on March 19. He had been absconding for nearly a year, allegedly hiding at a religious site in Amritsar, after being named in a case registered in April 2025 under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act.
19-Mar-2026
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on March 19 filed a chargesheet in a special court in Panchkula, Haryana, against another accused, Ramdutt, for his alleged involvement in the 2024 bomb attacks at two clubs in Gurugram by members of the proscribed Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). He is the ninth accused to be chargesheeted in the case linked to Canada-based designated terrorist Goldy Brar, the NIA said. Investigations found that he was associated with Brar’s close aide Rohit Godara and foreign-based gangster Randeep Malik.
19-Mar-2026
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), has condemned the arrest of an American national and six Ukrainians by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on charges of plotting terror activities against India. Referring to the accused as “Trumpanists”—a reference to Donald Trump—Pannun claimed in a video message that they were “not terrorists” but were “fighting for freedom.” The arrests of six Ukrainians and one American have reportedly exposed an alleged terror conspiracy involving Western actors supplying military training and advanced drone technology to ethnic rebels fighting the Myanmar junta.
19-Mar-2026
Punjabi singer Mankirat Aulakh reportedly received a death threat on March 19 from gangster Lucky Patial of the Bambiha gang. An audio recording attributed to Patial has surfaced, in which he refers to the recent Sector 9 murder in Chandigarh and warns that Aulakh is next. In the clip, he allegedly states that regardless of the number of gunmen the singer hires, his turn will come, while also mocking him for staying in Mohali and portraying himself as being abroad on social media.
18-Mar-2026
The Counter Intelligence wing of Punjab Police on March 18 arrested two persons, identified as Buta Singh alias Gurpreet Singh alias Gopu and Harmander Singh alias Neeka and seized two hand grenades near Khall Khurd twin canals in Ferozepur district. Police said the accused were on their way to deliver the explosives on the directions of their handler, identified as Jodha alias Joban, who remains at large. Preliminary investigations indicate that the grenades were part of an illegal supply chain linked to cross-border elements and were intended to disturb peace in the border state.
18-Mar-2026
Two unidentified assailants on a motorcycle shot dead a property dealer, identified as Chamanpreet Singh alias Chini, in a brazen daylight attack near a gym in Sector 9, Chandigarh on March 18. According to initial reports, the victim was stepping out of the Body Zone gym and had just entered his car when the assailants opened fire, pumping 8–10 rounds before fleeing the scene. Later, gangster Lucky Patial claimed responsibility on social media, alleging that the victim had been sharing information with rival groups despite prior warnings.