Instagram and Telegram Used to Recruit Teenagers for Crime, Reveals Chandigarh Police

In a shocking revelation, Chandigarh Police has uncovered how foreign-based gangsters are allegedly using social media platforms to lure vulnerable teenagers into becoming contract killers. Police intercepted a Class 12 student, who is a minor, before he could allegedly carry out a murder in Patti town of Tarn Taran district on the instructions of gangsters operating from abroad. According to officials, the minor, a resident of Punjab, was stopped by Chandigarh Police’s Operation Cell team on May 6 during routine patrolling in the Union Territory area. Acting on secret inputs and technical analysis, police found that the teenager was allegedly in active contact with foreign-based gangsters Prabh Dasuwal and Gurvinder Singh alias Afridi Tootanwala. Investigators said the boy had left his home on May 5 to execute the assigned killing. Police said the case highlights a disturbing trend in which minors are being drawn into organised crime networks through social media platforms. The student had recently appeared for his Class 12 board examinations and was awaiting his results when he allegedly came into contact with the gang nearly two months ago through Instagram. The communication later shifted to Telegram, which the gang allegedly used because of its encrypted messaging features. Investigators revealed that the teenager was reportedly motivated by a personal grievance. He had allegedly been assaulted by a group of boys in his locality and, seeking revenge, reached out to gangsters for support. Officials said the gang members then began influencing and grooming him for criminal activities. In March, the minor was allegedly instructed to travel to Khemkaran, where he stayed with two gang associates identified as Lov Bhatti and Aman Sharma. During this period, his family, unaware of his whereabouts, reportedly filed a missing person complaint with local police. While staying in Khemkaran, the teenager was allegedly assigned the task of opening fire at a doctor’s shop near Amarkot bus stand. However, he reportedly refused because he had never handled a weapon before. Police said the firing was later carried out by Lov Bhatti and Aman Sharma. The minor returned home after around 20 days. Officials said the gang later escalated its plans and assigned him the task of killing a personal rival in Patti. Police also stated that Prabh Dasuwal had transferred money to the teenager on multiple occasions. At the time he was intercepted in Chandigarh, the boy was allegedly attempting to obtain a SIM card using another person’s identity, a tactic commonly used by criminal networks to avoid detection. Investigators further claimed that the gangsters pressured the teenager to create fake Instagram accounts to help recruit other vulnerable youths into their network. Speaking to The Tribune, Chandigarh DGP Dr. Sagar Preet Hooda said the interception of the minor exposed both the ruthlessness of gang networks and the alertness of Chandigarh Police. He said foreign-based gangsters were exploiting innocent and impressionable youths by turning personal disputes into violent criminal assignments. Dr. Hooda stated that timely police intervention prevented the minor’s life from being permanently ruined. He further asserted that Chandigarh Police would not allow the city to become a recruitment ground or operational base for any gang or syndicate, whether domestic or foreign, and reiterated the department’s zero-tolerance policy towards organised crime. Considering the boy’s age, police handed him over to his parents and advised the family to ensure professional counselling for him. Chandigarh Police has also shared all relevant details with Punjab Police for further action in the Patti case and for tracing gang associates Lov Bhatti and Aman Sharma.