CHANDIGARH: The Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of Punjab Police, in close coordination with the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC) of the state police's Counter Intelligence wing and with the support of central agencies, has secured the deportation of fugitive gangster Gurwinder Singh alias Afridi from Ethiopia after a 10-month international manhunt under Operation SHAHID.
Afridi, a key kingpin of the Doni Bal-Prabh Dassuwal gang, is wanted in 35 criminal cases. He had fled abroad using a fake passport issued from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
He arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi early Sunday morning and was taken into custody by a team of Punjab Police officials, who are bringing him to Punjab to face the law.
Director General of Police, Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, said on Sunday that Afridi, who carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh announced by the Punjab government for 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.
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 crackdown against organised crime."
"The operation marks the successful culmination of 'Operation SHAHID'—a 10-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," he said.
Operation SHAHID was executed under the close supervision of IGP OFTEC of the Counter Intelligence wing, Ashish Chaudhary, who oversaw international coordination and follow-up efforts. The operation was led by SP AGTF/OFTEC Operations Bikramjit Singh Brar.
Sharing operational details, Yadav said Afridi had fled abroad from Mumbai Airport to the UAE on March 31, 2025, using a fake passport fraudulently obtained in the name of a Gorakhpur resident and issued from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on February 12, 2025.
The accused had been evading law enforcement agencies across several continents. Initially, he was based in the UAE and later attempted to flee to Mexico via Istanbul, but was deported back to the UAE. Subsequently, he slipped into Kenya in April 2026, travelled to Angola in June that year and moved to Ethiopia in November.
Yadav said Punjab Police had secured an Interpol Red Notice against Afridi and shared inputs regarding his fake identity and movements with central agencies at critical intervals. As many as seven Interpol references were also issued.
The sustained 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.
Yadav commended the efforts of the AGTF and OFTEC teams and thanked the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs and central intelligence and enforcement agencies for their cooperation in securing the deportation.
Afridi's name surfaced during the investigation into the August 31, 2022, attack on a church in Thakkarpura village of Tarn Taran. Four masked men allegedly held the church's security guard hostage at gunpoint, vandalised statues of Lord Jesus and Mother Mary, and set the pastor's car on fire before fleeing.
In June 2024, Amritsar Rural Police arrested Jaswinder Singh alias Munshi, describing him as a key accused in the case. During preliminary interrogation, Munshi allegedly named Afridi and two others as his accomplices in the attack. Police subsequently began looking for the other suspects.
Afridi was also named in a 2021 FIR registered at Sadar Patti police station in Tarn Taran under Sections 380 and 457 of the IPC, relating to theft and house-breaking, and Section 25 of the Arms Act. However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed the FIR and subsequent proceedings against the petitioners in February 2024 following a compromise between the parties.
Of the 35 cases against Afridi, five are murder cases registered in Punjab. These include the murder of AAP sarpanch Rajwinder alias Raj Talwandi in October 2024 and that of 12-year-old Gursewak Singh in March 2025. He is also wanted in the murders of Vicky Chugh in March 2025, Jaswant Singh in May 2025 and Congress block president Gurmel Singh in September 2025.
Police investigations revealed that Afridi was allegedly directing targeted killings, extortion-related firing incidents and organised criminal activities in Punjab from abroad, Yadav said.