Punjab Police brings back 17 accused hiding abroad: Harpal Cheema
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has claimed that Punjab Police has brought back 17 wanted accused from various countries over the past six months.
Punjab Police has successfully apprehended and brought back 17 accused hiding in various countries over the past six months. Interacting with journalists in Chandigarh, State Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema shared details of the campaign being run by the government.
Presenting government data, the minister stated that during the year 2026, from January 20 to November 7, raids were conducted at more than 1.61 lakh locations across the state. During this campaign, the police have taken into custody nearly 2,162 proclaimed offenders.
According to Cheema's statement, the latest action took place on November 7, during which Gurvinder Singh alias Afriદી, an accused carrying a reward of five lakh rupees, was deported by the government of Ethiopia and brought back. The police say that this gang leader is facing over thirty criminal cases.
The minister alleged that Gurvinder Afriદી obtained a fake passport through Uttar Pradesh and first reached the UAE and later an African country. According to police records, charges of murdering Congress leader Gurमेल Singh, Rajvinder Singh, Vicky Chugg, Jaswant Singh, and a minor are also registered against him. Nothing has yet been proved in court.
Giving details of the police operations, the minister stated that fugitives are being caught from all over the world. These include Ramanjit Singh Romi (Hong Kong), Amrit Singh (Maldives), Prabhpreet Singh (Germany), Parminder Singh Pindi (United Arab Emirates), Sajjan Mahesh and Sukhdev Kumar (Indonesia), Karambir Singh Deol (Canada), along with Ajay Singh, Pawandeep Singh, and Jaspreet Singh brought from Malaysia.
Levelling political allegations, Cheema asked how a person like Gurvinder Afriદી managed to get a fake passport from Uttar Pradesh, a state with a BJP government. Citing Lawrence Bishnoi, who is lodged in a Gujarat jail, he also accused the Centre of targeting non-BJP ruled states. He claimed that the Mann government is committed to making the state crime-free.
Key developments
- Punjab Police brings 17 wanted accused from abroad in 6 months
- 2,162 fugitives taken into custody after raids at 1.61 lakh places across state
- Gurvinder Afriદી, carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh, deported from Ethiopia
- Cheema questions BJP over the fake passport made in Uttar Pradesh
