In the heart of northern India, a fierce battle is playing out—one that pits law enforcement against the ever-adapting underworld. Over the past several months, Punjab and Delhi have become the focal points of a relentless campaign against organized crime, with authorities employing aggressive tactics to disrupt traditional criminal enterprises. As police pressure mounts, gangsters are shifting their strategies, seeking new sources of income and, in the process, reshaping the criminal landscape itself.
On Saturday, September 27, 2025, Punjab Police mounted one of their largest operations yet. According to The Tribune, more than 120 police teams, totaling over 1,000 personnel and supervised by 66 gazetted officers, fanned out across the state. Their mission: to carry out coordinated raids at 332 locations as part of the ongoing “Yudh Nashian Virudh” (War Against Drugs) campaign, which has now entered its 210th consecutive day. The results were striking—66 drug smugglers arrested, 53 first information reports (FIRs) registered, and a haul that included 431 grams of heroin, 1,608 intoxicant tablets or capsules, and ₹42,250 in drug money.
This operation is just the latest salvo in a months-long offensive led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. Mann has made no secret of his ambition to make Punjab a drug-free state, directing top police officials to leave no stone unturned. To bolster oversight, the Punjab government established a five-member Cabinet Sub-Committee, chaired by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, to monitor the campaign’s progress. The stakes are high: in just 210 days, the total number of drug smugglers arrested has soared to an astonishing 31,145.
But as law enforcement tightens its grip on drug trafficking and related crimes, the underworld isn’t simply fading away. Instead, it’s adapting—and fast. According to The Tribune, with traditional sources of revenue like smuggling of firearms and narcotics increasingly disrupted by aggressive policing, gangsters are turning to a method that’s as old as crime itself: extortion.
Delhi, just a few hundred kilometers from Punjab, has become a hotbed for this new wave of criminal activity. The evidence? On the night of September 18, two men brazenly pasted a threatening note on a garments shop in Jafrabad, Northeast Delhi. The note, captured on CCTV, was chilling in its simplicity and directness. Purportedly from gangster Vicky Pehelwan—currently lodged in Mandoli Jail—the message read: “I need Rs 1 crore, or else I’ll get you killed.” The owner, like many others across the city, was now caught in the crosshairs of a criminal economy that’s been forced to evolve.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. Earlier in September, three members of the notorious Kala Jathedi gang were apprehended after allegedly threatening a restaurant owner in Janakpuri, West Delhi. Their demand? Money, plain and simple. In another case, a Haryana-based gang linked to Gurjant Singh, alias Junta, targeted a businessman in Anand Vihar with a Rs 5 crore demand, escalating the stakes by firing outside the victim’s home to drive the point home.
The Delhi Police, for their part, are not standing idle. Between August 22 and September 25, 2025, officers arrested 50 gang members across the city. Yet, as one Special Cell officer explained to The Tribune, the dynamics of the underworld have shifted. “Earlier, only a few gangs operated in Delhi, but now around 10 major groups are active. Competition among them has led to a rise in extortion, as it is seen as easy money,” the officer said. The calculation, he added, is brutally simple: “If even two out of 10 people pay up after receiving a threat, the gang can continue to operate.”
This logic has made extortion an especially attractive option. Unlike smuggling or trafficking—which carry high risks of interception and long prison terms—extortion is seen as “low risk and high return.” Many threats are issued over the phone or, remarkably, from inside jails using smuggled devices. The anonymity and distance provided by these methods embolden criminals, making it harder for law enforcement to trace and apprehend the masterminds.
What’s driving this surge in extortion, and why now? The answer, according to police, lies in the success of their own crackdowns. As aggressive enforcement disrupts the flow of illegal firearms and narcotics, gangs are losing their traditional revenue streams. Desperate to maintain their operations, they’re casting a wider net, targeting anyone they believe has the means to pay. The result is a palpable sense of unease among business owners and ordinary citizens alike.
Yet, the authorities are not backing down. In Punjab, the “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign is gaining momentum, with Chief Minister Mann’s administration vowing to keep up the pressure. The formation of the Cabinet Sub-Committee under Finance Minister Cheema is intended to ensure that the campaign remains focused and effective, with regular oversight and accountability. During the latest round of raids, police also checked 369 suspicious individuals, signaling a commitment to proactive policing and intelligence gathering.
Meanwhile, in Delhi, the police are adapting their tactics to counter the new threat. Arrests of key gang members, increased surveillance, and the dismantling of extortion networks are all part of a broader strategy to restore public confidence. Officers acknowledge that the battle is far from over, but they insist that sustained pressure can tip the balance. “The scale of extortion has grown in recent years,” one officer admitted, “but so has our resolve to stop it.”
For the people of Punjab and Delhi, the shifting tactics of organized crime are a stark reminder that the fight against the underworld is never static. Just as law enforcement adapts, so too do the criminals. It’s a game of cat and mouse, with each side seeking to outmaneuver the other. The recent surge in extortion may be a sign of desperation among gangs, but it also underscores the effectiveness of the police’s ongoing campaigns against more traditional forms of crime.
As the dust settles from the latest raids and arrests, one thing is clear: the battle for the soul of northern India’s cities is far from over. With communities caught in the middle, and both sides refusing to yield, the outcome will depend not just on force, but on the ability of authorities to anticipate—and outwit—the ever-changing tactics of the underworld.
In this high-stakes struggle, vigilance, adaptability, and unwavering resolve are proving to be the most potent weapons of all.