India, Jan. 20 -- In a statewide crackdown on organised crime, Punjab Police on Tuesday launched 'Operation Parhar', deploying over 12,000 personnel to raid the hideouts of gangsters, their accomplices, and kin.

Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said that the 72-hour operation aims to dismantle the "entire ecosystem" of crime syndicates. The crackdown specifically targets the networks of 60 high-profile gangsters currently operating from foreign soil.

"Raids are being conducted at about 2,000 locations, targeting 1,200 identified associates of these criminals. We have mapped the intricate networks of these syndicates, and our teams are acting on specific intelligence. Action will ...