The ongoing drive against organised crime, launched under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and DGP Punjab Gaurav Yadav, achieved yet another breakthrough as SAS Nagar Police arrested another operative of foreign-based gangsters Goldy Dhillon and Mandeep Spain. The arrest was made during backward-linkage investigations amid the continued crackdown on the module.
Sharing details, SSP Harmandeep Singh Hans said that this development follows the police action on November 12, when SAS Nagar Police, in a joint operation with the AGTF, arrested two shooters; and the November 26 action, in which four shooters were apprehended by SAS Nagar Police and AGTF after an exchange of fire near the Dera Bassi–Ambala highway. During that operation, two police personnel were hit on their bulletproof jackets, while two accused sustained injuries in the retaliatory fire.
Seven pistols and seventy live cartridges were recovered, he added. The arrested accused has been identified as Rajat Kumar alias Rajan, a resident of Village Jansua, PS Sadar Rajpura, District Patiala. Explaining the operational aspects, the SSP said that after the arrest of six operatives in the two earlier actions, a special team under the supervision of SP (Rural) Manpreet Singh and DSP Dera Bassi Bikramjit Singh Brar undertook a detailed backward-linkage investigation to identify the remaining members of the module.
During this process, the role of Rajat Kumar surfaced, revealing that he had been facilitating movement, arranging shelter, and providing weapons to other operatives. Acting on this input, joint teams of AGTF and SAS Nagar Police, led by SHO Dera Bassi Inspector Sumit Mor, apprehended the accused near the Dera Bassi bus stand yesterday afternoon, the SSP said.
Further, divulging details, the SSP stated that the accused has a criminal background, with two previous cases related to snatching and Arms Act violations registered against him in Punjab and Haryana. Preliminary investigation revealed that he came into contact with gang members during his jail term in 2019 and had recently been operating directly under the instructions of his handler, Mandeep (Spain)—an aide of gangster Goldy Dhillon.
The SSP added that the accused was wanted in FIR No. 0345 dated 26.11.2025 under Sections 109, 111, 221, 132, 3(5) of the BNS and Section 25 of the Arms Act, registered at Police Station Dera Bassi. With this arrest, a total of seven operatives linked to the Goldy Dhillon module have been apprehended during the ongoing crackdown.
So far, nine pistols and eighty live cartridges have been recovered, the SSP informed. Further investigation is underway, and the arrest is expected to help expose the broader logistical and financial network supporting these gangsters, he added.