CHANDIGARH, November 9: The Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government has brought back 17 gangsters from foreign countries in the past six months as part of its intensified crackdown on organised crime, Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said on Monday, asserting that the government would pursue criminals regardless of where they sought refuge.
Addressing a press conference, the senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said the state government’s anti-gangster campaign, ‘Gangstran Te Vaar’, had yielded significant results, with Punjab Police conducting 1,61,266 raids between January 20 and November 7, 2026, and arresting 2,162 proclaimed offenders.
Cheema said the latest major breakthrough was the deportation of Gurwinder Singh alias Afridi from Ethiopia on November 7. Carrying a reward of ₹5 lakh, Afridi faces more than 30 criminal cases and is accused of heading a gang involved in several serious offences.
According to the minister, Afridi had allegedly procured a fake passport in Uttar Pradesh before travelling to the UAE and subsequently moving to Ethiopia. Punjab Police secured his deportation to India to face legal proceedings.
Cheema said Afridi was allegedly involved in several serious criminal cases in Punjab, including the murders of Sarpanch Rajwinder Singh, 12-year-old Gursewak Singh, Vicky Chugh, Jaswant Singh and Congress block president Gurmail Singh.
Listing the government’s achievements, Cheema said Punjab Police had also succeeded in bringing back several wanted gangsters from countries including Hong Kong, the Maldives, Germany, the UAE, Indonesia, Malaysia and Canada. Among those brought back were Ramanjit Singh Romi, Amrit Singh, Prabhpreet Singh, Parminder Singh Pindi and Karmbir Singh Deol.
He said the campaign had been launched soon after the AAP government assumed office, with clear directions to the police to take action against criminal elements irrespective of their location.
Targeting previous governments, Cheema alleged that gangsters had been created and nurtured during the Akali-BJP regime and allowed to flourish under the Congress. He said the Mann government was now taking decisive action to dismantle these networks.
The minister also questioned how Afridi managed to obtain a fake passport in Uttar Pradesh and levelled allegations against the BJP over the alleged protection of criminal elements. He further raised the issue of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is lodged in Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail.
Cheema asserted that the government would present strong evidence before courts to ensure convictions and would not allow gangsters to threaten Punjab’s peace and security. He said the ultimate objective was to make the state free from organised crime.
