Punjab police brings back 17 gangsters from abroad in 6 months, arrests 2,162 proclaimed offenders: Harpal Cheema
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, November 9, 2026: Punjab Police has brought back 17 alleged gangsters from foreign countries in the past six months and arrested 2,162 proclaimed offenders during a statewide crackdown, Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said on Monday.
Addressing a press conference, Cheema said that under the Bhagwant Mann government’s anti-gangster campaign, ‘Gangstran Te Vaar’, police conducted 1,61,266 raids between January 20 and November 7, 2026, resulting in the arrests of approximately 2,162 proclaimed offenders.
He said the government had directed the police to pursue criminal suspects regardless of where they were operating from, adding that the return of 17 gangsters from abroad reflected the state’s efforts to tackle organised crime.
Cheema cited the cases of several individuals brought back from different countries, including Ramanjit Singh Romi from Hong Kong, Amrit Singh from the Maldives, Prabhpreet Singh from Germany, Parminder Singh Pindi from the UAE, Sajjan Mahesh and Sukhdev Kumar Manish Baidi from Indonesia, Ajay Singh, Pawandeep Singh and Jaspreet Singh from Malaysia, and Karmbir Singh Deol from Canada.
He also highlighted the deportation of Gurwinder Singh alias Afridi from Ethiopia on November 7. According to the minister, Afridi carried a reward of ₹5 lakh, was facing more than 30 criminal cases and was allegedly heading a gang. He claimed that Afridi had obtained a fake passport in Uttar Pradesh before travelling to the UAE and later Ethiopia.
Cheema said Afridi was allegedly involved in several serious cases registered in Punjab, including the murders of Sarpanch Rajwinder Singh, 12-year-old Gursewak Singh, Vicky Chugh, Jaswant Singh and Congress block president Gurmail Singh.
The minister also questioned how Afridi had managed to obtain a fake passport in Uttar Pradesh and accused the BJP of allowing criminal networks to operate. He further raised allegations concerning the use of gangsters to threaten political opponents, including references to Lawrence Bishnoi, who is lodged in Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail.
Targeting previous governments, Cheema alleged that gangster networks had developed during the Akali-BJP regime and continued to flourish under the Congress government. He said the present government was committed to dismantling these networks.
Cheema added that the government would focus on presenting strong evidence in court to secure convictions and said its objective was to make Punjab a gangster-free state.