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Amritsar police turn to gurdwara speakers to alert youth against drugs, crime
Launched nearly 10 days ago, the drive has already covered several border villages in the Ramdas and Attari sectors
Stepping up their efforts to protect youth along the border belt from drug abuse and criminal exploitation, the Amritsar Rural Police have launched a community outreach drive in collaboration with gurdwaras to caution parents and teenagers.
Under the initiative, village granthis (priests) are making public announcements through gurdwara loudspeakers to raise awareness about anti-social elements targeting vulnerable adolescents.
Launched nearly 10 days ago, the drive has already covered several border villages in the Ramdas and Attari sectors. The police plan to expand the programme to public intersections, schools and local youth clubs using public address systems ahead of upcoming festive gatherings.
Speaking on the initiative, Amritsar Rural senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal said the campaign specifically targeted teenagers aged 16-17.
According to police, intelligence and recent investigations revealed that criminal networks were able to lure impressionable youth with incentives like mobile phones, motorcycles, financial aid or promises of foreign travel.
“These young minds are exploited by anti-social elements to carry out illegal tasks, ranging from picking up contraband consignments to executing low-level attacks,” SSP Chahal said.
“With the pervasive influence of social media and easy access to instructional content online, parents often remain unaware of their children’s activities and peer group,” he said.
Through this campaign, police aim to encourage parents and village elders, including panchs and sarpanchs, to closely monitor behavioural changes in youngsters.
Several cases of teenagers being lured by anti-social gangs and anti-national agencies have cropped up in the recent past.
On August 4, 2026, the Amritsar commissionerate police busted two ISI-backed cross-border terror modules with the arrest of nine individuals. Among them four were juveniles.
Abroad-based handlers had recruited these teenagers from Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur to conduct surveillance on security installations and execute petrol bomb attacks, according to investigators.
In July, following a brief encounter near Bhaini village, Amritsar Rural Police arrested two young operatives wanted for executing a petrol bomb attack after being lured by online foreign handlers.
Earlier, on April 13, Punjab Police solved the grenade attack on the Bhindi Saida police station, which occurred on the night of March 29. Six radicalised youths were arrested after being enticed with promises of substantial financial rewards by an ISI-backed foreign handler to conduct reconnaissance, hurl hand grenades and record video footage of the incident.
