In a chilling exposure of how overseas gangsters are radicalising vulnerable youngsters into contract killers through social media, Chandigarh Police have apprehended a Class 12 student — a minor — who was on his way to Patti in Tarn Taran district to execute a murder on the instructions of two gangsters operating from abroad, foiling what could have been yet another gang-linked killing in the region.The minor, a Punjab resident, was intercepted by a Chandigarh Police Operations Cell team on May 6 during routine patrolling in the UT area, based on secret information and technical analysis. He was found to be in active contact with gangsters Prabh Dasuwal and Gurvinder Singh alias Afridi Tootawala, both operating from abroad, and had left home on May 5 to carry out the assigned killing.The case lays bare a disturbing recruitment pipeline. The minor had appeared in his Class 12 board examinations, with results still awaited, when he was drawn into the gang’s orbit barely two months ago — through Instagram. Contact subsequently shifted to Telegram, which the gangsters use for operational instructions given its encrypted messaging features.His entry point into this world was personal grievance. He had been beaten up by a group of boys in his local area and, seeking revenge, reached out to the gangsters. The gangsters spotted an opportunity and began grooming him. In March, they directed him to travel to Khemkaran, where he stayed with two gang associates — Love Bhatti and Aman Sharma. His family, unaware of his whereabouts, filed a missing complaint with the local police. While in Khemkaran, he was tasked with firing at a doctor’s shop near the Amarkot bus stop. He refused, having never handled a weapon before. The firing was subsequently carried out by Love Bhatti and Aman Sharma. He returned home after 20 days.This time, the gang raised the stakes — tasking him to travel to Patti and kill one of his personal opponents. Money was transferred to him multiple times by Prabh Dasuwal. When intercepted in Chandigarh, he was trying to procure a SIM card on someone else’s identity — a standard gang tradecraft to avoid detection. The gangsters had also pressed him into creating fake Instagram accounts to help recruit more vulnerable youngsters into their network.The development comes in the backdrop of a string of gang-linked crimes that have roiled Chandigarh in recent weeks — three back-to-back shootouts, a grenade blast outside the Punjab BJP office in Chandigarh, and most sensationally, the contract killing of property dealer Charanpreet Singh alias Chini outside a Sector 9 gym on March 18, in which a Sector 35 woman, Amreen Kaur Rai, was recently arrested as the local mastermind who paid Rs 50 lakh to hire the Lucky Patial gang to execute the hit. All accused identified in each of these cases have since been arrested.Speaking to The Tribune, Chandigarh DGP Sagar Preet Hooda said the interception of the minor underscored both the ruthlessness of gang networks and the vigilance of Chandigarh Police. “Gangsters sitting abroad are shamelessly exploiting young, impressionable boys, turning personal grievances into murder assignments. This boy’s life could have been destroyed. We intervened in time. Let me be clear — Chandigarh Police will not allow this city to become a recruiting ground or an operational base for any gang or syndicate, foreign or domestic. Our zero tolerance for organised crime is absolute and unwavering,” he said.Given that the minor is a juvenile, he has been handed over to his parents. Police have advised the family to ensure professional counselling for the boy. All relevant details have been shared with Punjab Police for follow-up action in the Patti matter and in tracing the gang associates Love Bhatti and Aman Sharma.