KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
21-Feb-2026
Police on February 21 arrested a drug smuggler, identified as Sonu Singh and seized 6.38 kg of heroin from his possession near Akku Wala village in Ferozepur district. He was reportedly in contact with cross-border smugglers.
21-Feb-2026
On February 21, Kapurthala Police arrested a person, identified as Praveen Singh and seized 6 grams of heroin from his possession, in Subhanpur, Kapurthala district.
21-Feb-2026
Police on February 21 arrested a person, identified as Sarabjit alias Sabi and seized 30 intoxicant tablets from his possession, in Phagwara, Kapurthala district.
21-Feb-2026
Police on February 21 arrested two persons, identified as Baljit Singh and Lovepreet Singh and seized 203 grams of heroin from their possession in Thammuwal village, Kapurthala district.
21-Feb-2026
Police on February 21 arrested one person, identified as Gaurav Gill alias Guri and seized 190 white-coloured intoxicant tablets from his possession in Bhulath village in Kapurthala district.
21-Feb-2026
The Mumbai Crime Branch has issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against gangster Harichandra alias Harry Boxer, a key member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, in connection with an extortion threat to Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh. According to reports, Mumbai Police sent the threatening voice note received by the actor’s manager to Punjab and Haryana for verification. The caller allegedly identified himself as Harry Boxer and demanded INR 20 crore in ransom, although earlier reports had cited a demand of INR 10 crore. A senior police official confirmed that the sender claimed to be Harry Boxer. Authorities have also contacted US agencies to gather further details about the phone number used to send the voice note.
21-Feb-2026
Dal Khalsa and allied Sikh organisations held a Panthic meeting in Moga district on February 21 and warned the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) against what they termed attempts to destabilise Punjab. With Union Home Minister (UHM) Amit Shah expected to visit Moga in March, Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh raised a series of questions regarding recent global controversies. The leadership alleged that the security establishment was pursuing a dual strategy— “transnational repression” targeting activists abroad and “unconstitutional” encounters within the state. Referring to legal proceedings in the United States (US) involving Nikhil Gupta, the organisation sought clarity on who allegedly directed the attempted hit on Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
20-Feb-2026
On February 20, the 31st day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 664 raids, arrested 198 persons and recovered 205 weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 100 individuals, while 18 proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
20-Feb-2026
On February 20, Punjab Police, on day 356 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 87 drug smugglers, and seized 458 grams of heroin, 600 grams of opium, 439 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 2200 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
20-Feb-2026
Police on February 20 arrested two persons, identified as Davinder Singh and Manisha Rani and seized 10 grams of heroin and 30 intoxicating tablets from them at a naka near Khatkar Kalan village in Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar district.
20-Feb-2026
Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh has reportedly received a death threat and an extortion demand of INR 10 crore from the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The threat was allegedly delivered via a voice note from a United States (US)-registered phone number. Police are coordinating with US law enforcement agencies to trace the number’s origin and identify those responsible, while examining call data records and other digital evidence to verify the threat’s authenticity.
20-Feb-2026
On the intervening night of February 20–21, Punjab Police arrested six alleged high-profile drug smugglers, including two women, identified as Ramandeep Kaur, Sarabjit Singh alias Sabba, Amritpal Singh alias Abhijot, Jarnail Singh alias Goldy, Amardeep Singh alias Boxer, and Dimple Rani and seized 4.804 kg of heroin, a .30 bore pistol, three live cartridges, and INR 30,000 in suspected drug money from their possession, near Green Avenue in Faridkot district.
19-Feb-2026
The Lakhbir Landa gang, in an unverified social media post on February 19, claimed responsibility for the killing of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch (village head) Harbarinder Singh in Tarn Taran district. Harbarinder was shot dead at close range during a wedding ceremony on February 18. In the post circulating online, the gang alleged it was behind the murder. However, police had earlier stated that the case was being investigated from all possible angles using scientific and technical methods. Based on the probe so far, officials indicated there was no evidence of a threat or extortion angle, and that personal enmity or revenge appeared to be a strong possibility.
19-Feb-2026
A bomb threat email was received on February 19 at the offices of two senior IAS officers at the Punjab Main Secretariat and the Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh. The email claimed that polonium bombs had been planted in both buildings and would be detonated at 2:11 pm. Security agencies conducted thorough searches of the premises, but no suspicious material was found, and the threat was later declared a hoax. According to information, the email alleged that gangsters being eliminated by police in Punjab were actually Khalistani activists and warned that Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann would “pay a price” for it.
19-Feb-2026
In a major boost to the anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’, the Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on February 19 inaugurated the newly constructed, ultra-modern Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) Jalandhar Range building at Police Lines in Jalandhar district.
19-Feb-2026
On February 19, the 30th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 645 raids, arrested 236 persons and recovered four weapons from their possession. 12 proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
19-Feb-2026
On February 19, Punjab Police, on day 355 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 100 drug smugglers, and seized 7.7 kg of heroin, 100 grams of opium, 6,631 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 8,760 suspected drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
18-Feb-2026
The Counter Intelligence unit of the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested a key member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, identified as Bobby Kabootar, in New Delhi. He had been on the run for several years and was considered a close and trusted associate within the gang. According to police sources, Bobby had been actively involved in the syndicate’s criminal activities while evading arrest. Investigations further revealed that he allegedly conducted reconnaissance (recce) ahead of the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala.
18-Feb-2026
In a joint operation, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Gautam Buddh Nagar Commissionerate on February 18 arrested a fugitive terrorist of the banned Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), identified as Sukhwinder Singh Dhillon alias Dayal Singh alias Rakesh Sharma alias Chhinda, in Mohali, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district. Sukhwinder Singh was earlier arrested in Gautam Buddh Nagar, UP, with an AK-56 rifle and 121 cartridges and was produced before a court in 1993. He was granted bail on December 9, 1993, and released on August 16, 1995. Thereafter, he remained absconding for nearly 31 years, prompting the court to issue an arrest warrant against him.
18-Feb-2026
Police on February 18 arrested two alleged gangsters, identified as Sarabjit Singh and Manoj Kumar alias Monu and seized a .32 bore pistol along with two cartridges from their possession, in Ludhiana district.
18-Feb-2026
On February 18, the 29th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 689 raids, arrested 196 persons and recovered one weapon from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 78 individuals, while 232 persons were verified and released. Nine proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
18-Feb-2026
On February 18, Punjab Police, on day 354 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 110 drug smugglers, and seized 1 kg of heroin, 2.7 kg of opium, 419 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 2120 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
18-Feb-2026
An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch (village head), Harbarinder Singh, was shot dead and his relative, Jermandeep Singh, injured when armed assailants opened fire during a wedding ceremony at Sheron village in Tarn Taran district on February 18. The sarpanch, an agriculturist and commission agent, had attended a relative’s wedding at Sidhu Farms when three men arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire, shooting both him and his relative. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Surendra Lamba stated that the incident did not appear to be linked to gangster activity, as no extortion calls had been received by the deceased. He indicated that personal enmity could be the motive behind the attack.
17-Feb-2026
The Punjab Government on February 17 defended the continued preventive detention of Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, stating that the “gravity and enormity of the threat posed by the hit list” and his “close intimate association with dreaded terrorists and gangsters” formed the basis of the detention order. Senior advocate Anupam Gupta, appearing for the State, submitted that the principal grounds of detention were twofold: the existence of a 15-member “hit list” and the petitioner’s alleged proximity to designated terrorists, including individuals notified under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
17-Feb-2026
The Jammu and Kashmir Police, in coordination with the Punjab Police, on February 17 arrested two Pakistani juveniles—identified as Mohammad Sanaullah and Ahsan Anwar—from Punjab after they escaped from a detention facility in Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir. The accused had fled from the Juvenile Observation Home in RS Pura and allegedly snatched a motorcycle at gunpoint to aid their escape toward the Jammu–Punjab highway.