Chandigarh, March 26 -- The tricity, once considered a safe and planned urban cluster, is confronting a brazen, daylight takeover by organised crime today. A series of recent shootings, extortion threats, and gang-linked killings across Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula have exposed a well-entrenched criminal network that is no longer operating in the shadows. Since November 2025, the tricity has recorded 11 cases of gunfire. The defining symbol of this lawlessness unfolded last week in Chandigarh's upscale Sector 9, where a property dealer was shot dead in a crowded, high-security zone. CCTV footage captured 12 bullets being fired in under 20 seconds. Gangster Lucky Patial publicly claimed responsibility for the hit over an Rs.8-crore property dispute. Just a day earlier, gunshots rang out inside the Panjab University campus, where armed assailants targeted a student leader Jashanpreet Singh Jawanda and hijacked a motorcycle at gunpoint to escape. The strike was later claimed on social media by the Doni Bal gang. These are not isolated incidents of urban crime. They are calculated crimes born of a brutal, multi-polar rivalry between the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, the Davinder Bambiha/LuckyPatial group, and the Goldy Brar faction. Anti-Gangster Task Force deputy inspector general (DIG) Gurmeet Chauhan says, "Chandigarh's unique position as the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana makes it a natural magnet, not just for administration and business, but also for crime networks seeking visibility and influence. As a political and economic hub, the city remains under constant spotlight, and any act of violence here carries amplified impact, making it an attractive stage for gangs looking to assert dominance. The rapid expansion of the tricity, particularly in Mohali and Zirakpur, has further complicated the landscape. As urban development pushes outward into peri-urban areas, gaps in policing, tenant verification and surveillance create fertile ground for criminal activity." While Chandigarh serves as the stage for these crimes, the suburbs are providing the logistics. Kharar in adjoining Mohali district has rapidly emerged as the operational and shelter hub for interstate gang operatives. The town's geography is its biggest draw for criminals. Kharar offers fast, seamless road connectivity to Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi. The rapid, unregulated urban expansion, dense pockets of rented accommodations, and a highly transient population allow criminals to blend in without fear of tenant verification. The murder of kabaddi promoter Rana Balachauria in Sector 79 on December 15, and the daylight execution of Gurvinder Singh outside the Mohali judicial complex on January 28, both trace their logistics back to Kharar. In the Balachauria case, investigators found that shooters were housed in rented flats in Sunny Enclave, Kharar, where they planned the hit for months. A consistent operational pattern has now emerged: Shooters quietly enter the tricity from neighbouring states, stay briefly in rented accommodations in the Mohali-Kharar belt, conduct reconnaissance, execute the hit within seconds, and flee across state borders before police jurisdictions can coordinate. They are aided by a local nexus of property dealers, small-time criminals, and drug peddlers who supply them with vehicles, SIM cards, and safe houses. At the heart of the gang violence is a booming, transnational extortion economy. The tricity's rapid economic growth-fuelled by a real estate boom, affluent businessmen, and a vibrant Punjabi music and nightlife industry-has created a lucrative target pool for gangsters. The modus operandi is structured. Handlers based safely in Canada, the US, and Europe identify local targets and issue threats via WhatsApp. If the demands (ranging from Rs.2 crore to Rs.5 crore) are ignored, local foot soldiers are activated to fire warning shots at residences or execute targets. This decentralised model makes enforcement difficult. Even if local shooters are arrested, the foreign-based masterminds remain untouched. Unlike traditional underworld syndicates, modern gangs thrive on social media visibility. Claims of responsibility are posted within hours of a shootout to build terror, establish dominance, and attract new recruits. Local youth are being lured into the fold with the promise of easy money and passage to foreign countries. Following the Sector 9 murder, a prominent Punjabi singer reportedly received death threats from the same network, amplifying public anxiety. The Punjab and Haryana high court recently flagged the emergence of this new extortion industry, questioning how shooters continue to operate with impunity despite heavy surveillance. The recent wave of violence has laid bare a gap in police preparedness and intelligence coordination, despite the tricity having one of the highest police-to-population ratios in the country. From the murder of Inderpreet Singh, alias Parry, inChandigarh's Sector 26 nightlife hub to the pharmacy shooting in Sector 32, criminals are striking at will and escaping easily. While CCTV cameras are helping investigators reconstruct crimes after the fact, they are doing nothing to deter them in real time. "The CCTV can tell you what happened, but not stop it from happening," said a retired Chandigarh Police officer, emphasising that visible policing-patrolling, naka points, and traffic presence-remains the most effective deterrent. Residents have also flagged the absence of night patrols, highway nakas, and border checkpoints. Former Chandigarh Police officials point out that while manpower exists on paper, personnel are constantly diverted to VIP protocols, administrative duties, and event management, leaving peripheral sectors and escape routes wide open. Criminals are exploiting the lack of real-time intelligence sharing between the Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana police forces. A suspect can fire a weapon in Chandigarh and be inside Punjab jurisdiction within five minutes, buying precious time while control rooms scramble to communicate. Security experts believe standard policing is no longer enough to break this syndicate. While short-term measures like police encounters push crime back momentarily, the tricity requires a robust, unified legal framework to dismantle the financial and logistical backbone of gangs before they pull thetrigger. As a retired DGP-rank officer put it, "The fear of law is missing. A robust legal framework that instils fear before a crime is committed is needed, similar to the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Punjab should consider adopting such stringent measures to curb organised crime."...