Punjab, once known for its vibrancy and resilience, is now grappling with a disturbing surge in extortion threats and violence linked to notorious gangsters operating from abroad. This crisis has reached a boiling point, prompting urgent discussions and actions from both state authorities and residents.
Kalwinder Singh, a vocal critic of gangsters based in Canada, exemplifies the gravity of the situation. Singh, who has been receiving intimidating calls from these criminals for the past two years, recently faced heightened threats that forced him to remove his critical videos from Facebook. Despite lodging an FIR with the Punjab Police in June, Singh reports that the calls persist, leaving him feeling constantly surveilled.
Singh’s plight is not isolated. Since January, the Punjab Police’s Anti-Gangster Task Force has received over 200 complaints related to extortion calls, primarily traced back to gang leaders in Canada. Of these, 172 FIRs have been registered, resulting in 174 arrests. The severity of the situation was underscored in late August when a businessman in Amritsar was shot for refusing a demand of Rs 5 crore. Additionally, shots fired outside a Vancouver home and a deadly attack in Ferozepur further illustrate the escalating violence.
The Punjab Assembly recently addressed this crisis, with Congress leader Aruna Chaudhary highlighting the daily occurrence of these threatening calls. This issue also spurred a controversy involving the Punjab Police, where Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa demanded an investigation into alleged police involvement in facilitating gangster interviews while in custody. Bajwa drew parallels between the current situation and the state’s tumultuous militancy era, suggesting a breakdown in law and order.
Senior Punjab Police officials have denied any involvement in the extortion network, emphasizing their commitment to combating gangsters. Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Gurmeet Chauhan of the Anti-Gangster Task Force detailed the difficulties in tracing these calls, which are often masked by VPNs to obscure their origin. Chauhan noted that while there has been a noticeable increase in such calls following the assassination of singer Sidhu Moosewala in May 2022, efforts to tackle the problem continue, including the deportation and extradition of several gangsters.
Despite these measures, the problem persists. Reports indicate that over a thousand extortion calls have been made in Punjab since 2022, with the number of cases rising each year. This trend has instilled a pervasive sense of fear among Punjab’s business community and residents. A small business owner from Doaba shared that gangsters have become more brazen since Moosewala’s murder, with many opting to settle extortion demands privately rather than reporting them.
The rise in gangster activities is also linked to a disturbing trend of local recruitment in Punjab’s villages, where residents are reportedly assisting criminals by providing information and participating in violent acts. This grassroots involvement further complicates the enforcement of law and order.
