CHANDIGARH: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the three Indian gangsters of the Davinder Bambiha gang were deported from Malaysia by the central agencies, as they are wanted in multiple cases involving murder and extortion.
They were arrested by Punjab Police at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi following their deportation. They were subsequently taken to Punjab for investigation.
The three accused have been identified as Jaspreet Singh alias Jas Behbal from Behbal Kalan village in Faridkot of Punjab, Ajay Singh alias Ajay Malaysia and Pawandeep Singh from Sri Ganganagar of Rajasthan.
Police have described them as Malaysia-based operatives of the Davinder Bambiha gang and said they are wanted in cases involving murder, extortion, explosives and an alleged planned hand-grenade attack in Ludhiana.
In a post on X, Union Home Minister Amit Shah wrote, "Under Modi Ji’s vision of a safe and secure India, our agencies have facilitated the deportation of 51 hardened criminals in 2026 alone.’’
The development comes as Indian authorities intensify efforts to locate and bring back criminal suspects operating from abroad.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said earlier this month that 274 fugitives have been brought back to India from 36 countries between 2019 and 2016 highlighting the government's broader focus on overseas fugitives.
Jaspreet Singh alias Jas Behbal had ordered the attack to kill Jeewanjot Singh Chahal alias Jugnu, a former student leader of Panjab University, whose name also featured in the killing of Punjabi singer Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, also known as Sidhu Moosewala.
However, the Punjab police cleared him from the case earlier this year.
The Punjab Police identified that Jugnu was the target of the Bambiha gang in their bid to seek revenge for the killing of their associate Deepak Mann.
He was allegedly abducted and killed by the associates of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar.
Thus, on July 22 last year, Jugnu was fired upon by three youths on a motorcycle when he was returning from a bhog ceremony in Bahmanwala village in Faridkot.
The driver of his SUV, Yadvinder Singh, was grievously injured.
The Punjab Police implicated Jass Behbal in the case and requested Interpol to issue a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against him.
In January this year, Interpol issued a Red Corner Notice, formally initiating the process of locating, detaining, and deporting him to India.
In April last year, Jaspreet was implicated in a case by Faridkot Police based on a complaint by a local businessman who alleged he received a call from a number with a +351 prefix, claiming to be Behbal from the Bambiha group demanding Rs 1 crore.
Jaspreet, son of a daily-wage labourer, had gone to Malaysia in June 2019, with no criminal record at the time; his name first appeared in the police records in July 2024 when he had allegedly threatened one commission agent in the state’s Barnala in the name of the Bambiha gang, demanding Rs 50 lakh.
A few days back, Director General of Police, Punjab, Gaurav Yadav said that these three are wanted in multiple cases involving murder, extortion and explosives, and an alleged plan to carry out a hand-grenade blast in Ludhiana.
He also said the cases have links to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
“Punjab Police achieves a breakthrough against transnational organised crime as #OFTEC (Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell) of the Counter Intelligence Wing, with the assistance from Central Agencies,” the DGP said in a post on X.
He then added that Punjab Police remains committed to dismantling transnational organised crime networks.
Additional Director General of police (Counter Intelligence) Amit Prasad had said the deportation and subsequent arrests were the result of a sustained intelligence-led operation carried out over several months.
"During the operation, the movements and activities of the three fugitives were closely monitored, following which coordinated efforts by Punjab Police and central agencies led to their detention in Malaysia and eventual deportation to India," Prasad said.
Inspector General of Police (IOFTEC) Ashish Choudhary said Jaspreet Singh had travelled to Malaysia in June 2019. During his stay there, he allegedly came into contact with a fugitive gangster and subsequently joined the Davinder Bambiha gang.
"Over time, Jaspreet allegedly emerged as an important operative of the gang and was involved in criminal activities," he added.
Choudhary had said Jaspreet has been formally arrested in connection with the 2025 murder case involving Yadwinder Singh and the driver of Jeewanjot Singh Chahal, alias Jugnu, a former Panjab University leader.
While Ajay Singh and Pawandeep Singh have also been identified by police as alleged key operatives of the Davinder Bambiha gang operating from Malaysia, the two allegedly tasked their ground-level associates with carrying out a hand-grenade attack in Ludhiana in 2025.
Punjab Police had set up an Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC), headed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ashish Choudhary, to expedite the extradition of foreign-based gangsters.