As the year 2024 draws to a close, Punjab Police under the leadership of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav has made significant strides in maintaining law and order and successfully solving all the major and high-profile crimes that took place in the state throughout the year, said Inspector General of Police (IGP) Headquarters Sukhchain Singh Gill here on Tuesday.

“From the series of attacks on police establishments, to the high-profile killings of Hindu leader Vikas Bagga at Nangal and ex-terrorist Rattandeep Singh, the Punjab police have left no stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators to justice,” he said.

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Other notable cases solved include the hand grenade blast at a residence in Sector 10, Chandigarh, the hand grenade attack at a petrol station in Mansa, and the triple murder case in Ferozepur.

Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill, who was addressing a ‘Year Ender’ Press Conference, said that the decisive war waged by the Punjab Police on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh is continued with Police arresting 8935 drug smugglers/suppliers, including 210 big fish after registering 12255 first information reports (FIRs), including 1213 commercials in year 2024.

He said that police teams have recovered 1099 Kg heroin, 991-Kg opium, 414 quintals of poppy husk, and 2.94 lakh tablets/capsules/injections/vials of Pharma opioids from across the state, he said, while adding that drug money worth Rs 14.73 crores was recovered from drug smugglers arrested this year.

“Registering yet another major success in curbing drug smuggling in the state of Punjab, Punjab Police has successfully executed the orders of preventive detention of two notorious drug smugglers, including Gurdeep Singh alias Raano Sarpanch of Ludhiana and Avtar Singh alias Tari of Gurdaspur, using special provisions under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotics Drugs Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) act,” he said.

The Section 3 of the PIT-NDPS Act empowers the government to take such drug smugglers into preventive custody to prevent them from engaging in illicit traffic of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

The IGP said that police have also forfeited 531 properties worth Rs 335 crores of big smugglers this year. He said that 71 drug consumers, caught with little quantity of drugs, availed provision of section 64-A of the NDPS by pledging to undergo the rehabilitation treatment, he added.

He said that as part of the ongoing special drive to arrest Proclaimed Offenders (POs)/Absconders in NDPS cases, Punjab Police have arrested 843 POs/Absconders since January 1, 2024, he added.

Recounting the achievements of Punjab Police against the gangsters front in 2024, the IGP said that the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) along with field units has succeeded in busting 198 gangsters/criminals modules after arresting 559 gangsters/criminals and recovered 482 weapons, 102 vehicles used in criminal activities, 7 Kg heroin and Rs 2.14 crore drug money from their possession.

He said that at least 64 exchange of fire took place between police party and criminals this year, during which three gangsters/criminals were neutralised and 63 gangsters/criminals were arrested, of which, 56 had sustained injuries.

“Unfortunately, one of our colleague attained martyrdom, while, nine police personnel had sustained injuries during the exchange of fires,” said IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill.

Divulging details on action against terrorists, the IGP that in 2024, the Internal Security Wing has busted 12 terror modules with the arrest of 66 terrorists after recovering two Rifles, 76 Revolvers/Pistols, two Tiffin Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), 758 gras RDX and other explosives, four Hand Grenades and 257 Drones.

Police teams have recovered 185 kg heroin, 24 pistols, one AK-47 rifle, one IED and Rs 4.18 lakh drug money dropped via drones, he said, while adding that there were 513 drone sightings this year.

He said that in action against use of mobile phones inside jails, the Punjab Police has also blacklisted as many as 2348 IMEI numbers and blocked 731 mobile numbers. Apart from this, at least 483 social media accounts glorifying gangsters and promoting violence have been blocked.

IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill said that to provide employment opportunities to the youth and channelise their energy in right manner, the Punjab Government has been conducting recruitment in Punjab every year.

Of over 10,000 total recruitments since April 2022, as many as 4657 appointment letters were given this year only. In 2024, 288 Sub-Inspectors, 450 Head Constables and 3919 Constables have been given appointment letters while, the recruitment of 1746 constables are under process, he added.

Punjab Government has been focusing on strengthening and modernisation of the Punjab Police to make it number one in the country.

He said that the ambitious project of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann aimed at making Punjab roads safer and reducing road accident fatalities, Sadak Surkhya Force (SSF) has achieved a 15.74 per cent reduction in road accident fatalities during the first four months, saving 147 lives, and addressed 9836 accidents with an average response time of under 6 minutes and 45 seconds.

The SSF has provided on-spot first aid to 5661 individuals and transported 5686 injured persons to the hospitals for medical care, he added.

He said that Punjab Government had already sanctioned Rs 45.19 crores for the installation of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) Cameras for several districts and border areas to further intensify the surveillance and keep vigil against drug smugglers and anti-social elements.

The IGP said that the Punjab Police’s Cyber Crime Division has also achieved a significant milestone in 2024, with cyber reporting increasing by a whopping 82.7 percent compared to the previous year.

This surge in reporting demonstrates the growing trust and awareness among citizens about cybercrime and the importance of reporting such incidents, he added.

He said that another notable achievement of Cyber Crime Division is the establishment of 28 new cyber crime police stations across the state, resulting in registration of 374 FIRs registered which led to arresting 64 individuals.

Additionally, the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting helpline (1930) received 35,201 complaints, with Rs 467.1 crores reported in fraud and Rs 73.34 crores saved via lien marking, he said, while adding that Punjab even ranked #1 nationally for lien marking in July.

Gill said that the Punjab Prisons Department has also been making significant strides in countering organised crime within the state’s prisons.

A key strategy has been the identification and categorisation of High-Risk Prisoners (HRPs), with 456 individuals, including gangsters, drug smugglers, and terrorists, being segregated into 40 High-Security Zones (HSZs) across 13 prisons.

This move has prevented illegal mobile access and disrupted communication networks among these high-risk individuals, he said.

Apart from this, the department has also enhanced intelligence collection and collaboration, conducted mandatory daily searches, and deployed advanced surveillance systems, including AI-based CCTV systems in 8 central jails, he said.

He added that more infrastructure upgrades are underway, including the construction of a new high-security jail near Ludhiana and the expansion of advanced security features, such as V-Kavach jammers, AI-based CCTV systems, and X-ray scanners, to all sensitive prisons.