Punjab News:‘GANGSTRAN TE VAAR’: PUNJAB POLICE SECURES 1ST-EVER DEPORTATION OF FUGITIVE GANGSTER FROM AFRICA; GURWINDER AFRIDI BROUGHT BACK FROM ETHIOPIA
*— 10-Month-Long Multi-Continental Manhunt Ends; Key Doni Bal-Prabh Dassuwal Gang Kingpin Wanted In Over 30 Criminal Cases Detained In Ethiopia: DGP Gaurav Yadav*
*— Red Notice, Seven INTERPOL References & Multi-Agency Coordination Lead To Deportation Of Gurwinder Afridi; Accused Wanted In 5 Murder Cases: DGP Gaurav Yadav*
*— Operation SHAHID – Punjab Police Tracks Gangster Across 4 Countries Before Securing His Deportation From Ethiopia; ₹5 Lakh Reward Announced For His Arrest: DGP Gaurav Yadav*
*— Operation SHAHID Marks Successful Culmination Of 10-Month-Long Multi-Continent International Manhunt*
*— DGP Punjab Commends AGTF & OFTEC Teams; Thanks Ministry Of External Affairs & Central Agencies For Effective International Cooperation*
In a major breakthrough against transnational organised crime amidst the ongoing campaign ‘Gangstran Te Vaar’ launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Police’s Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), in close coordination with the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC) of Counter Intelligence and with the support of Central Agencies, has secured the deportation of fugitive gangster Gurwinder Singh alias Afridi from Ethiopia, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Sunday.
Gurwinder alias Afridi, a key kingpin of the Doni Bal-Prabh Dassuwal gang carrying a reward of ₹5 lakh announced by the Punjab Government on information leading to his arrest, was allegedly directing targeted killings, extortion-related firing incidents, and organised criminal networks in Punjab while operating from abroad. The accused is wanted in more than 30 heinous criminal cases, including five murder cases, attempt to murder, extortion, and Arms Act offences.
Addressing a press conference at Punjab Police Headquarters (PPHQ), DGP Gaurav Yadav, accompanied by Special DGP AGTF Promod Ban and Special DGP Counter Intelligence Amit Prasad, said, “This marks the first-ever deportation of a fugitive secured by Punjab Police from an African country, heralding a new chapter in the state’s relentless crackdown against organised crime.”
DGP Gaurav Yadav stated, “The operation marks the successful culmination of ‘Operation SHAHID’— a ten-month-long intelligence-led international manhunt involving sustained surveillance, strategic intelligence gathering, and tracking across multiple countries in Asia, South America, and Africa, executed in close coordination with national and international agencies.”
Pertinently, Operation SHAHID was executed under the close supervision IGP OFTEC of Counter Intelligence wing Ashish Chaudhary, who oversaw international coordination and follow-up efforts and was led by SP AGTF/OFTEC OPs Bikramjit Singh Brar.
Sharing operational details, the DGP revealed that accused Gurwinder Afridi had fled abroad from Mumbai Airport to the UAE on March 31, 2025, using a fake passport fraudulently obtained under the particulars of a Gorakhpur resident and issued from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on February 12, 2025.
The accused was constantly evading law enforcement agencies across several continents, he said, while adding that initially holed up in the UAE, accused Gurwinder Afridi attempted to flee to Mexico via Istanbul, but was deported back to the UAE. Subsequently, he slipped into Kenya in April 2026, travelled onwards to Angola in June 2026, and moved to Ethiopia in November 2026.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that Punjab Police have got a Red Notice issued against Gurwinder Afridi, shared inputs regarding his fake identity and movements with central agencies at critical intervals, and had as many as seven INTERPOL references issued. The persistent multi-agency pursuit led to his detention in Ethiopia on November 6, 2026, and his subsequent deportation to India. He was taken into custody by Punjab Police at New Delhi Airport and is being brought to Punjab to face the law.
The DGP commended the tireless efforts of AGTF and OFTEC teams, and thanked the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, and central intelligence and enforcement agencies for their seamless international cooperation in securing this deportation.
Meanwhile, accused Gurwinder Afridi is wanted in five sensational murder cases in Punjab, including the murder of Sarpanch Rajwinder alias Raj Talwandi (October 2024), 12-year-old boy Gursewak Singh (March 2025), Vicky Chugh (March 2025), Jaswant Singh (May 2025), and Congress Block President Gurmel Singh (September 2025).