*— Over 2291 CCTV cameras installed at 585 locations along the border belt*
Punjab’s war on gangsters is no longer confined to encounters and arrests: it is being decisively pushed to the state’s edges, where a silent but far more strategic battle is underway.
Under “Gangstran Te Vaar,” the Punjab Police is aggressively strengthening the “second line of defence” — a deep, technology-driven security grid designed to choke the very lifelines of organised crime networks operating with cross-border linkages.
While the Border Security Force (BSF) continues to guard the international boundary, Punjab Police is ensuring that even if contraband slips through, it doesn’t travel far.
And increasingly, the numbers reflect that intent.
Over 2291 CCTV cameras have been installed at 585 locations along the border belt as part of this second line, creating a dense surveillance net across vulnerable villages and transit routes. In addition, 41 police stations in the border districts have been brought under CCTV coverage: feeding into a broader ecosystem of monitoring and response.
But this is not just about expanding surveillance, it is about making it count.
On the ground, checkpoints (Nakas) have become sharper and less predictable, backed by real-time intelligence. Vehicle checks are no longer routine but targeted. Anti-drone vigilance has been intensified, especially in districts that have seen repeated drops of arms and narcotics.
“The second line of defence is where the chain is effectively broken. While border sealing remains the first layer, any breach that occurs is swiftly intercepted within our jurisdiction. Our nakas are no longer routine checkpoints; they are intelligence-led, positioned and operated on the basis of verified inputs,” said Suhail Qasim Mir, SSP, Amritsar Rural.
“Simultaneously, village-level defence committees and local networks are closely integrated into the security framework, ensuring that ground-level movement does not go unnoticed. We are also continuously strengthening critical infrastructure, surveillance systems, mobility, and rapid response mechanisms, so that this layer functions both as a deterrent and a disruption point for any criminal activity,” he added.
Underlining the shift, the Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said the strengthening of the second line is central to the state’s anti-gangster strategy. “We are building depth in our policing. The focus is on dismantling the entire ecosystem, from cross-border supply to last-mile delivery. The second line of defence ensures that even if an attempt is made, it is detected early and neutralised swiftly,” he added.
For seasoned observers of Punjab’s policing landscape, this marks a clear shift. The focus is shifting from reacting to crimes to disrupting the logistics that enable them.
Because every drone drop intercepted, every suspicious vehicle flagged, every movement tracked through the CCTV grid directly weakens the ecosystem that sustains gangsters, many of whom operate remotely, often from abroad.
There is also a quieter but equally critical layer to this effort. Border villages are no longer being treated as vulnerable fringes but as active partners in policing. Local intelligence is being systematically integrated into the policing framework, with village-level vigilance and community networks increasingly feeding actionable inputs into the intelligence grid, significantly strengthening the depth and responsiveness of the second line of defence.
The strategy is layered, deliberate, and far more disruptive than visible crackdowns. If earlier the question was who pulled the trigger, today the focus is sharper: how did the weapon reach there in the first place.
As “Gangstran Te Vaar” gathers pace, Punjab’s second line of defence is emerging as its most decisive front, an unseen wall that doesn’t just stop threats, but systematically suffocates the networks behind them.
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