CHANDIGARH, Sep 21: The Punjab Police today launched a state-wide crackdown against criminals linked with Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, a senior police official said.
Police conducted raids at 1,159 suspected hideouts of criminals and gangsters in the special operation, they said.
Simultaneous raids were carried out from 7 am to 2 pm on the directives of Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav in which all the residential and other premises of associates, relatives and friends of criminals were thoroughly searched across the state.
Around 5,000 policemen were involved in the exercise, Special Director General of Police (law and order) Arpit Shukla said.
The Special DGP said police teams arrested one person and recovered 120 grams of heroin and one .32 bore pistol along with five live cartridges during the operation.
Several persons were also rounded up for questioning for further verification during the operation and incriminating material was seized from their possession, he said.
The material and data collected during the search operation are being examined further, he added in a statement.
Senior police officers, including inspectors general of police, police commissioners and senior superintendents of police, are personally monitoring the operation, Shukla added.
“Today’s searches were planned after the questioning of several persons arrested during recently busted modules backed by different gangsters,” the Special DGP said.
Goldy Brar is the main accused in the killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala. Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29 last year.
Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar, a native of Sri Muktsar Sahib in Punjab, went to Canada on a student visa in 2017. He is an active member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. (PTI)