Punjab News: Punjab Police has achieved great success under the action of Bhagwant Mann government against organized crime and gangsters in Punjab. Police have succeeded in bringing back fugitive gangster Gurvinder Singh alias Afridi from Ethiopia to India after a 10-month long international operation. This action has been taken under the campaign 'Gangster Te War' being run on the instructions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. The special thing is that this is the first successful action of Punjab Police to bring back a fugitive criminal from an African country.
Was accused in more than 30 criminal cases
Gurvinder Afridi is said to be the main leader of Doni Ball-Prabh Dasuwal gang. Sitting abroad, he was carrying out murders, ransom shootings and other organized criminal activities in Punjab. There are more than 30 serious criminal cases registered against him including five cases of murder, attempt to murder, extortion and under the Arms Act. The Punjab government had also announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for anyone providing information leading to his arrest.
Gangster had fled abroad with fake passport
According to Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav, Gurvinder Afridi fled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Mumbai Airport on March 31, 2025. He had used a fake passport to go abroad. This passport was made on 12 February 2025 on the basis of the identity of a person from Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.
After reaching abroad, the accused kept changing his location continuously. Initially he remained hidden in UAE. He then tried to go to Mexico via Istanbul, but was sent back to the UAE. Then it reached Kenya in April 2026, Angola in June 2026 and Ethiopia in November 2026.
International operation lasted for 10 months
Punjab Police launched 'Operation Shahid' to catch the gangster. Under this campaign, his activities were monitored in many countries of Asia, South America and Africa. The police issued a Red Corner Notice against him and shared information with international agencies through seven Interpol references.
AGTF and OFTEC teams played an important role in this operation conducted under the supervision of Counter Intelligence Wing IGP Ashish Chaudhary. After continuous intelligence gathering and coordination with multiple agencies, the accused was taken into custody in Ethiopia on 6 November 2026. After this he was brought back to India. He has been taken into custody by the Punjab Police at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport and is being brought to Punjab for further legal action.
Was wanted in five murder cases in Punjab
Gurvinder Afridi was wanted in five high-profile murder cases in Punjab. These include the murder of Sarpanch Rajwinder alias Raj Talwandi in October 2024, the murder of 12-year-old Gursevak Singh and Vicky Chugh in March 2025, the murder of Jaswant Singh in May 2025 and the murder of Congress block chief Gurmail Singh in September 2025.
DGP Gaurav Yadav praised the teams of AGTF and OFTEC for this success. Also thanked the Ministry of External Affairs, Home Ministry and Central Intelligence and Investigation Agencies for international cooperation. According to the police, this action will further strengthen the action of Punjab Police against gangsters hiding abroad and running crimes.
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