For Punjab, the latest gangster crackdown is not just about an arrest.
It is about bringing back a wanted accused who had allegedly escaped the country using a fake identity and remained out of the reach of Indian agencies for nearly two years.
Punjab Police has brought back Amritpal Singh, alias Amrit Dalam, a 27-year-old alleged operative of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang, from Moldova and police said he was wanted in 21 criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder, UAPA, Arms Act, narcotics and extortion-related offences.
According to Punjab Police, Amritpal fled India in October 2024 using a fake passport in the name of Gurpal Singh and he first travelled to the UAE and later moved through different countries before reaching the European region.
Police said intelligence inputs indicated that Amritpal and an associate had travelled from the UAE to Georgia, his associate was later arrested and extradited to India in June this year. Amritpal, however, allegedly managed to secure bail and escaped to Armenia.
He later attempted to enter Ukraine from Moldova using a Ukrainian visa.
Moldovan authorities detained him at the Moldova-Ukraine border, after an Interpol Red Notice was issued on the request of Punjab Police in coordination with central agencies.
The operation to trace and bring him back was named Operation Eastern Reach and Punjab Police said the international manhunt continued for around six months and involved the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) and the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC), along with central agencies and international partners.
The extradition process was cleared by a Moldovan court on May 26, 2026. Amritpal challenged the decision before a higher court, but his appeal was rejected in July and on September 11, a four-member Punjab Police team took him into custody at Chisinau Airport in Moldova and brought him back to India.
Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav called the development a major milestone, saying it was the first-ever extradition secured by Punjab Police from a European country “This is the first-ever extradition secured by Punjab Police from a European country, marking a significant milestone in our fight against organised crime,” Yadav said.
The DGP also thanked the Moldovan and Azerbaijani authorities, the Interpol/CBI coordination unit, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs for their assistance.
Punjab Police said OFTEC, headed by IGP Ashish Choudhary, was specifically established to speed up the process of tracing and extraditing gangsters operating from foreign countries and the development comes as the Punjab government continues to highlight its crackdown on organised crime and gang networks, with police agencies increasingly focusing on gangsters who flee abroad after committing or allegedly planning crimes in the state.
