Governor of Punjab is pleased to constitute the Anti Gangster Task Force which would work under the

click here for IIIF manifest

EXTRAORDINARY

Published by Authority

CHANDIGARH, THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025 (CHAITRA 13, 1947 SAKA)

GOVERNMENT OF PUNJAB

DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS

(Home-4 Branch)

NOTIFICATION

The 3rd April, 2025

No. HOME-HM-40MISC/9/2025-4H4/I/1069936/2025.- The Governor of Punjab is pleased to constitute the Anti Gangster Task Force which would work under the DGP, Punjab with following mandate, composition and objectives:

Constitution and Objectives:

1. Punjab is a sensitive border state sharing 553 Km of international border with Pakistan besides also sharing inter-state borders with Union Territories of J&K and Chandigarh and states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh. It has always been the persistent endeavor of Pakistan to disturb the Law and Order and peace within the state by supporting elements inimical to the state's security and by the smuggling of arms/ explosives/ fake currency/ drugs across the international border.

2. There are a large number of criminal gangs operating within the State. These criminals indulge in organized crimes such as contract killing, shootouts, gang wars, extortion, protection money racket, kidnapping for ransom, highway robberies, bank dacoities, attack on police for releasing accused, illegal supply of weapons etc.

3. These gangsters are very active on various encrypted social media platforms, particularly on Facebook and Instagram and claim bravado on media regarding their criminal activity as they want to be recognized as dreaded criminals in order to scare people and extort money.

4. Jails have emerged as safe havens for these gangster groups for fresh recruitment, re-grouping, realignment and even for hatching conspiracies to commit heinous crimes. With illegal access to mobile phones in jails, gang leaders maintain communication with other members operating from outside and abroad to execute extortions and to commit other heinous crimes through their sharp shooters made available by friendly gangs who operate within the state as well as the neighbouring states.

5. To take action on these organized criminal gangs, Government of Punjab established Organized Crime Control Unit (OCCU) within Intelligence Wing of Punjab Police. OCCU has created a database of such

( 2337 )2338 PUNJAB GOVT. GAZ. (EXTRA), APRIL 3, 2025 (CHTR 13, 1947 SAKA) criminals and listed 545 of them as category A, B & C gangsters and carried out dedicated operations against them.

6. The face of the organized crime is changing with the possible alignment of gangsters with Pakistan based terrorist organizations and foreign based pro-Khalistan elements who are now indulging in cross border drugs and arms trafficking and targeted killings, Indian origin gangsters operating from abroad are indulging in making extortion calls and inter gang rivalry with the support of gangsters lodged in jails etc. which creates a sense of insecurity in the community.

Consequently, the Government of Punjab has announced the creation of Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF) under the supervision of an ADGP Rank officer to effectively respond to the complex dynamics associated with these criminal gangs. AGTF has been assigned a mandate to work as a specialized unit within Punjab Police to tackle these criminal gangs by employing a strategy based multi-dimensional approach.

AGTF - Objective, Role and Responsibility

Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of Punjab Police will be entrusted with the task of taking intelligence led action against the criminals involved in organized crimes such as contract killing, gang war, shootouts, extortion, kidnapping for ransom, highway robberies, bank dacoities, heist, arms smuggling, protection money racket or any other form of organized crime.

AGTF shall base its functioning upon human intelligence and modern technology to achieve its objectives.

The major objectives of AGTF would be:

i) Identification of gangs indulging in organized crime and its gang members.

ii) To collect, collate and analyze data regarding organized crimes and criminals for preparation and maintenance of such database.

iii) To generate intelligence both human as well as technical about organized criminal gangs, their members/ associates including those already lodged in jails.

iv) To take, intelligence-led, effective legal action against these organized gangs through AGTF units/ Punjab Police field units/ any others specialized units like SOG/ SWAT etc. of Punjab police.

v) To associate and supervise field units of Punjab Police in putting effective check on flow of illegal money to these gangs and to conduct financial investigation into illegally acquired properties and other resources belonging to the members of these organized criminal gangs and their associates.

vi) To act as a nodal agency for Punjab Police to coordinate with other central and state agencies regarding organized criminal gangs.

vii) To assist Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab in formulation of action plan regarding organized crimes and such criminal gangs.

Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF) will be empowered to collect any information regarding any incident of organized crime or organized criminal gangs from any field unit of Punjab Police or any other department of Punjab Government. All field units will extend all possible assistance to Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF) in discharge of its duties and execution of its functions. During the discharge of its duties all members of Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF) will have same legal powers as are assigned to police officers under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and other laws in force. Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF) shall be authorized to get any FIR registered regarding organized crime, in any police station of Punjab and either investigate or get the investigation done regarding any organized crime related FIR registered in the state under its supervision.

The officers working in Anti Gangster Task Force, of and above the rank of Sub-Inspectors, shall have all the powers of a Station House Officer of a Police Station under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, Punjab Police Act, 2007 and under any other relevant Central/ State law.

AGTF shall function as a specialized unit to curb organized crime and to take effective action against gangsters/ criminals. The police personnel deployed with the AGTF are likely to face continuous exposure and threat from anti-social elements and these organized criminal gangs and will be performing duties under life threatening circumstances and situations in the line of their duties. AGTF personnel shall be entitled to draw risk allowance, as approved by the Government, on the pattern of such specialized units functioning in other states.

AGTF, in the line of its duties and in the performance of its assigned functions, would be required to carry out operations within and outside state requiring sophisticated technical assistance, gathering of intelligence, as well as other essential requirements. AGTF shall be provided adequate amount of Secret Service Fund as approved by the competent authority.

The organizational structure of AGTF shall be determined by the State Government from time to time.

Powers of Anti Gangster Transfer Unit:

Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF) will be empowered to collect any information regarding any incident of organized crime or organized criminal gangs from any field unit of Punjab Police or any other department of Punjab Government. All field units will extend all possible assistance to Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF) in discharge of its duties and execution of its functions. During the discharge of its duties all members of Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF) will have same legal powers as assigned to police officers under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and other Laws in force.

Sd/-

Chandigarh

SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT OF PUNJAB, The 25th March, 2025

Department of Home Affairs.

3359/4-2025/Pb. Govt. Press, S.A.S. Nagar