Punjab Police bring back 17 gangsters from abroad in six months
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the arrests were part of the state's 'Gangstran Te Vaar' campaign against organised crime.
Punjab Police have brought 17 gangsters back from foreign countries over the last six months, according to The Times of India. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced the figures on Monday, stating that the actions were part of the 'Gangstran Te Vaar' campaign.
Between January 20 and November 7, 2026, the police conducted 1,61,266 raids and arrested approximately 2,162 proclaimed offenders, Cheema said. He noted that the operations demonstrate the ability of the police to track criminals outside of India.
The latest deportation involved Gurwinder Singh, alias Afridi, who was brought back from Ethiopia on November 7. Cheema said Afridi faces more than 30 criminal cases and carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh. The minister alleged Afridi used a fake passport from Uttar Pradesh to travel through the UAE to Ethiopia.
Other individuals brought back include Ramanjit Singh Romi from Hong Kong, Amrit Singh from the Maldives, Prabhpreet Singh from Germany, and Parminder Singh Pindi from the UAE. Also returned were Sajjan Mahesh and Sukhdev Kumar alias Manish Baidi from Indonesia, Ajay Singh, Pawandeep Singh and Jaspreet Singh from Malaysia, and Karmbir Singh Deol from Canada.
Cheema alleged that gangsters were nurtured during the Akali-BJP administration and allowed to grow under the Congress. He stated that the Bhagwant Mann government intends to eliminate gangsterism in Punjab and will provide the courts with robust evidence to ensure criminals are punished.