CHANDIGARH, November 9: Sending a strong message to organised criminal networks, Punjab Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday said that no gangster would be allowed to escape justice by fleeing abroad, claiming that the Bhagwant Mann government had brought back 17 wanted gangsters from foreign countries in just six months.
Speaking at a press conference, Cheema said the state government’s intensified anti-gangster offensive had delivered significant results. Under the ‘Gangstran Te Vaar’ campaign, Punjab Police conducted 1,61,266 raids and arrested 2,162 proclaimed offenders between January 20 and November 7, 2026.
Highlighting the latest achievement, Cheema said gangster Gurwinder Singh alias Afridi was brought back from Ethiopia on November 7. Afridi, who carried a reward of ₹5 lakh, faces more than 30 criminal cases and is accused of involvement in multiple serious crimes.
The minister said Afridi had allegedly obtained a fake passport in Uttar Pradesh, travelled to the UAE and later shifted to Ethiopia. Punjab Police successfully secured his deportation, ensuring his return to India to face the law.
Cheema further alleged that Afridi was involved in the murders of Sarpanch Rajwinder Singh, 12-year-old Gursewak Singh, Vicky Chugh, Jaswant Singh and Congress block president Gurmail Singh, among other criminal cases.
Describing the broader crackdown, the minister said Punjab Police had tracked and brought back wanted criminals from several countries. These included 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.
Cheema said the government’s policy was to ensure that criminals could not evade accountability by operating from foreign locations. He maintained that the police had been given a clear mandate to act against every gangster and criminal network.
Launching an attack on the previous regimes, the minister alleged that gangsterism had taken root during the Akali-BJP government and continued to flourish under the Congress. He said the present government was determined to dismantle the networks and establish a crime-free environment in Punjab.
Cheema also questioned the alleged procurement of a fake passport by Afridi in Uttar Pradesh and accused the BJP of providing political protection to gangsters. Referring to Lawrence Bishnoi’s detention in Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail, he alleged that criminal networks were being used to intimidate political opponents in opposition-ruled states.
Reiterating the government’s commitment, Cheema said the state would build strong cases against arrested gangsters and present credible evidence in courts to secure convictions.
“Our objective is clear: to make Punjab a gangster-free state,” he said, adding that the government would not allow anyone to undermine the peace and security of the state.
