Bringing wanted gangsters back from abroad: Punjab's extraditions and OFTEC

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Last Updated: 5 October 2026

Overseas Fugitive Tracking & Extradition Cell (OFTEC), set up by Punjab Police on 20 Jan 2026[1]
-- Dedicated to target gangsters sitting abroad

10 gangsters extradited in 7 months[1:1]

-- 21 more extradition proposals pending with the Centre[1:2]
-- First-ever extradition from Europe: Amrit Dalam (Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang) from Moldova, Sept 2026[2]
-- Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia and the UAE are now returning Punjab's wanted gangsters and terror suspects

Fugitives brought back to Punjab (Apr 2022 - Sep 2026)

Cases where Punjab Police led or worked jointly with central agencies, newest first:

When Fugitive and case From How Led by
15 Sep 2026 Karamveer Singh, close aide of Lawrence Bishnoi who sheltered Anmol Bishnoi in the US Canada Deported; LOC issued 3 Sep, AGTF took custody at Delhi airport[3] Punjab Police (AGTF)
12 Sep 2026 Amritpal Singh alias Amrit Dalam, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang Moldova Extradited (first from Europe)[2:1] Punjab Police (AGTF) with central agencies
24 Aug 2026 Jaspreet Singh, Ajay Singh, Pawandeep Singh, Bambiha gang (extortion, arms trafficking, foiled grenade attack in Ludhiana) Malaysia Deported[4] Indian agencies (MHA)
Jul 2026 Jobanjit Singh alias Joban Billa, Bambiha gang (4 murders, extortion); arrested at Jakarta airport on Interpol Red Corner Notice Indonesia Deported after "Operation Nomad Hunt"[5] Punjab Police (AGTF) with OFTEC and central agencies
19 Jun 2026 Gurwinder Singh and Manjeet Singh, Khalistan Zindabad Force (railway-track blast cases at Sirhind and Shambhu) Malaysia Deported[6] Punjab Police with central agencies
10 Apr 2026 Amritpal Singh Mehron, accused in the Kanchan Kumari ("Kamal Kaur Bhabhi") murder UAE Brought back after arrest in Dubai; Bathinda Police took custody[7] Punjab Police (Bathinda) with Interpol and central agencies
26 Sep 2025 Parminder Singh alias Pindi, Babbar Khalsa International UAE (Abu Dhabi) Extradited on a Red Corner Notice requested by Batala Police[8] Punjab Police with CBI, MEA and MHA
2025 (date not reported) Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia, BKI handler behind grenade attacks in Punjab; arrested in the US on 17 Apr 2025 after Punjab Police shared a dossier with central agencies and the US United States Reported deported[9] Punjab Police inputs with FBI, ICE and NIA[10]
13 Sep 2024 Amritpal Singh of Bhoma, Batala (murder, drug and arms cases) Austria Deported[11] Punjab Police (Batala Police, Internal Security Wing)
22 Aug 2024 Ramanjit Singh alias Romi, 2016 Nabha jailbreak Hong Kong Extradited; proceedings had begun in 2018, about six years earlier[12] CBI and Punjab Police

Returns led by central agencies in cases wanted in Punjab

When Fugitive and case From Led by
19 Nov 2025 Anmol Bishnoi, accused in the Sidhu Moosewala murder United States Central agencies; NIA took custody on arrival[13]
Aug 2023 Sachin Bishnoi alias Thapan, Sidhu Moosewala murder Azerbaijan Delhi Police, extradition from Baku[14]
Dec 2022 Bikramjit Singh alias Bikkar Baba, 2019 Tarn Taran blast Austria NIA (extradited on a Red Corner Notice)[15]
21 Nov 2022 Kulwinderjit Singh alias Khanpuria, BKI/KLF, ₹5 lakh reward Thailand (via Bangkok) NIA[16]

From district police to Interpol: building the pipeline

21 Jan 2025: DGP Gaurav Yadav directed police in Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Batala, Tarn Taran, Jalandhar and Ludhiana to obtain Red and Blue Corner notices from Interpol against wanted criminals settled abroad, and to seek their extradition[17]
-- 30 May 2025: Batala Police (SSP Suhail Qasim Mir) secured 5 Red Corner Notices against gangsters running extortion and terror from abroad, after months of documentation with NIA, IB and CBI[18]
-- 26 Sep 2025: Batala Police's Red Corner Notice request led to the extradition of Pindi from Abu Dhabi[8:1]
-- About 100 criminals' case histories were shared with foreign countries through central agencies in a year, with dossiers prepared by the Counter-Intelligence Unit, ANTF and AGTF[9:1]

OFTEC: how it works

State Nodal Officer for International Police Cooperation: Ashish Choudhary, IPS (earlier seven years with NIA), with a core team of DIGs from the AGTF, ANTF and Bureau of Investigation and an AIG (Criminal Investigation)[19]
-- Three desks: Drafting, Legal Support & Advisory, Coordination[19:1]
-- Handles Interpol notices, extradition requests, Mutual Legal Assistance Requests and Letters Rogatory[19:2]
-- Works with MHA, MEA, Interpol NCB-India, NIA and UNODC; office at Counter Intelligence HQ with encrypted systems and secure VPN[19:3]

Foreign handlers identified (Oct 2025): Punjab Police chief Gaurav Yadav said 203 foreign handlers linked to terror networks and organised crime have been identified, and the process for Red/Blue Corner Notices against them was initiated with central agencies[20]

Good to know: About 60 Punjabi gangsters hiding abroad, mainly in Canada and the US, are being tracked; red corner notices are pending for 21[19:4]. Every return depends on Interpol notices and court proceedings abroad, which can take from months to about six years (Romi, Hong Kong)

References:

  1. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=226648 (Punjab Govt Press Release, 12 Sep 2026) ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=226754 (Punjab Govt Press Release, 14 Sep 2026) ↩︎ ↩︎

  3. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=226783 (Punjab Govt Press Release, 15 Sep 2026) ↩︎

  4. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=225805 (Babushahi, 24 Aug 2026, citing Union Home Ministry) ↩︎

  5. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/gangster-joban-billa-deported-from-indonesia-brought-to-punjab/ (Tribune, Jul 2026) ↩︎

  6. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=222718 (Punjab Govt Press Release, 19 Jun 2026) ↩︎

  7. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=219582 (Babushahi, 10 Apr 2026) ↩︎

  8. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=211332 (Punjab Govt Press Release, 27 Sep 2025) ↩︎ ↩︎

  9. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/anmol-second-top-gangster-deported-from-us/ (Tribune, Nov 2025) ↩︎ ↩︎

  10. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=202632 (Punjab Govt Press Release, 18 Apr 2025) ↩︎

  11. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/punjab-police-bring-back-fugitive-from-austria (Tribune, 13 Sep 2024) ↩︎

  12. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/nabha-jailbreak-mastermind-ramanjit-singh-romi-extradited-from-hong-kong (Tribune, 22 Aug 2024) ↩︎

  13. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=213741 (Babushahi, 19 Nov 2025) ↩︎

  14. https://www.outlookindia.com/national/sidhu-moosewala-murder-case-mastermind-sachin-bishnoi-extradited-to-india-from-azerbaijan-news-307183 (Outlook, Aug 2023) ↩︎

  15. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/amritsar/extradited-from-vienna-nia-nabs-mastermind-of-tarn-taran-blast-459079 (Tribune, Dec 2022) ↩︎

  16. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/nia-arrests-khalistani-terrorist-kulwinderjit-alias-khanpuria-carried-a-reward-of-rs-5-lakh-453264 (Tribune, Nov 2022) ↩︎

  17. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/dgp-orders-tracking-down-of-criminals-hiding-abroad (Tribune, 21 Jan 2025) ↩︎

  18. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/batala-police-secure-red-corner-notices-against-happy-passian-4-other-gangsters (Tribune, 30 May 2025) ↩︎

  19. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/punjab-sets-up-fugitive-tracking-cell-to-catch-foreignbased-gangsters-terrorists/ (Tribune) ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  20. https://www.newsonair.gov.in/punjab-police-identifies-203-foreign-terror-handlers-initiates-red-blue-corner-notices (All India Radio, 15 Oct 2025) ↩︎

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