Punjab Police Bring Back 17 Overseas Gangsters Across Six Months, Minister Cheema Says

Punjab Police tracked down and brought back 17 fugitive gangsters from abroad over the past six months, Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced on Monday.

Criminals can no longer run. Launching a sharp political offensive in Chandigarh, Cheema stated that state law enforcement had smashed cross-border havens under the government’s flagship 'Gangstran Te Vaar' drive. Between January 20 and November 7, special teams staged 1,61,266 raids across the state, snaring 2,162 proclaimed offenders. The manhunt stretched across three continents, roping in local enforcement agencies in seven foreign jurisdictions.

The Global Crackdown

Coordinated international operations netted high-profile operatives wanted in connection with extortion syndicates, cross-border smuggling networks, and targeted hits. Hong Kong authorities handed over Ramanjit Singh Romi, while police secured Amrit Singh from the Maldives and Prabhpreet Singh from Germany. Enforcement sweeps in Southeast Asia yielded Sajjan Mahesh and Sukhdev Kumar, alias Manish Baidi, from Indonesia, alongside Ajay Singh, Pawandeep Singh, and Jaspreet Singh from Malaysia. In West Asia, teams extracted Parminder Singh Pindi from the United Arab Emirates, while Canadian authorities processed the return of Karmbir Singh Deol.

"These operations demonstrate the determination and capabilities of our police force in pursuing criminals beyond geographical boundaries," Cheema said. "Our objective is clear: to make Punjab a gangster-free state."

Yet the operation carries direct political stakes. Cheema slammed previous regimes, alleging that syndicates were "created and nurtured during the Akali-BJP rule and allowed to flourish under the Congress." With the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections on the horizon and talk swirling over a revived Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party is aggressively pushing its law-and-order balance sheet. Syndicates operating from Canada, Europe, and Southeast Asia have rattled the state for years with extortion calls and contract killings. By turning deportations into headline metrics, the administration is betting that clinical cross-border enforcement will blunt opposition attacks.

State prosecutors will now present evidence before trial courts to secure formal convictions against all 17 returned suspects.