Chandigarh: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today congratulated the Punjab government for cracking down on criminals, recent being the wanted gangster Vicky Gounder.  

Notably, Punjab Police had last week eliminated two gangsters-the most wanted Vicky Gounder, his associate Prema Lahoria, and one unidentified man in an encounter conducted at village Pakki in Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan.  

Gounder was one of the six prisoners who had escaped from high security Nabha jail along with five other prisoners in November 2016. Rajnath extended his appreciation during a luncheon meeting with Punjab Governor V P S Badnore and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, an official spokesman said.  

The meeting focused on matters related to internal security, with thrust in cooperation between the Centre and the state in maintaining peace and stability in the region, the spokesman added.  

The home minister lauded the efforts of the Punjab Police and intelligence agencies in cracking down on criminals and organised gangs. He also offered the Centre's support in the endeavour.  

Underlining the need for modernisation of the state police force to meet the prevailing challenges, the chief minister sought from Rajnath a Rs 50 crore grant for the same. The chief minister also reiterated his earlier request for two companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to replace IRB in Punjab's prisons.  

The chief minister stressed that as a sensitive border state, Punjab needed a high level of security network, with a modern police force and fool-proof security in jails. PTI