Khanna police on Saturday arrested 451 persons and dismantled multiple criminal networks, including an illegal de-addiction centre, a vehicle theft racket and a liquor adulteration syndicate, during a district-wide crackdown conducted under Punjab Police’s Operation Prahar 3.0.Khanna SSP Darpan Ahluwalia along with other officials during the operation on Saturday. (HT PHOTO)The coordinated operation, led by senior superintendent of police (SSP) Darpan Ahluwalia, targeted gangsters, drug traffickers, proclaimed offenders and other anti-social elements across the district.Police teams carried out simultaneous raids at suspected hideouts and crime hotspots, leading to the exposure of several organised criminal activities.Among the major breakthroughs, police unearthed two illegal de-addiction centres operating in the district and raided a chemist shop allegedly being run without a valid licence by a person with a criminal background. Investigators also dismantled a racket involved in refilling low-quality liquor into bottles of reputed brands before selling them in the market.Police further exposed a gang allegedly involved in altering the engine and chassis numbers of stolen vehicles and passing them off as legitimate second-hand vehicles.The operation led to the recovery of eight stolen trucks, five two-wheelers, one four-wheeler, four mobile phones and a silver chain, with the recovered property collectively valued at lakhs of rupees.Giving a breakup of the arrests, SSP Darpan Ahluwalia said, “326 persons were arrested in substantive cases, while 111 were detained under preventive provisions. The police also apprehended 10 proclaimed offenders and four associates of gangsters during the drive.”The crackdown also yielded substantial recoveries under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. Police seized 247.6 grams of heroin, three kilograms of cannabis, 1.4 kilograms of opium, 100 kilograms of poppy husk and 380 intoxicating tablets and capsules. They also recovered ₹13,250 suspected to be proceeds of drug trafficking.Action against illegal arms led to the seizure of two .32-bore pistols, four live cartridges and three sharp-edged weapons. Police also confiscated 153 litres of illicit liquor and 160 empty bottles allegedly used to repackage low-quality liquor under premium labels.As part of the operation, police intensified action against cyber-enabled offences by identifying 100 social media URLs promoting weapons, violence and unlawful activities.The links have been forwarded to the state cyber crime cell for further action.