Chandigarh, September 12, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
In a major breakthrough against transnational organised crime, the Punjab Police has secured the extradition of fugitive criminal Amritpal Singh alias Amrit Dalam, a key operative of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Gang, from the Republic of Moldova.
The extradition was achieved by the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) and Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC), with assistance from Central agencies, as part of the ongoing “Gangstran Te Vaar” campaign launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Saturday.
Amrit Dalam is wanted in multiple cases involving murder, attempt to murder, offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Arms Act and narcotics laws.
Moldovan authorities detained him on February 24, 2026, while he was allegedly attempting to cross the Otaci state border into Ukraine. Punjab Police subsequently initiated extradition proceedings through OFTEC.
The Court of Chisinau granted his extradition to India on May 26. His appeal was rejected by the Court of Appeal Centru on July 16, making the extradition order final.
Following the order, a four-member Punjab Police team led by AGTF SP Bikramjit Singh Brar travelled to Moldova to bring the accused back. Inspector Pushvinder Singh, Sub-Inspector Jaspreet Singh and Assistant Sub-Inspector Varinder Kumar were part of the team.
The team took Amrit Dalam into custody at Chisinau Airport on Friday. He arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Saturday morning and is being brought back to Punjab to face legal proceedings.
“This is the first-ever extradition secured by Punjab Police from a European country, marking a significant milestone in our fight against organised crime,” DGP Gaurav Yadav said.
He said the operation marked the culmination of “Operation Eastern Reach”, a six-month intelligence-led international manhunt involving surveillance, intelligence gathering and coordination with national and international agencies.
Yadav commended the AGTF and OFTEC teams and thanked the Moldovan and Azerbaijani authorities, the International Police Cooperation Unit of the CBI, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs and other Central agencies involved in the operation.
ADGP AGTF Promod Ban said Amrit Dalam is wanted in at least seven murder cases, including the 2019 murder of Dalbir Singh in Batala; the 2024 double murder of Amrjeet Lal and Kashmiri Lal in Hoshiarpur; the 2025 murder of Dharamjit Singh alias Dharma; the 2025 double murder of Kanav Mahajan and Sarabjit Singh alias Kaka; and the 2025 murder of Jasdeep Singh alias Deep Cheema.
The accused allegedly fled India in October 2024 using a fake passport prepared in the particulars of Gurpal, son of Hira Singh, a resident of Kurukshetra, Haryana.
Punjab Police tracked his movements across multiple countries during his absconding period. A Red Notice was issued against him, while information about his alleged fake passport and whereabouts was shared with Central agencies at different stages, eventually facilitating his extradition.
IGP Counter Intelligence Ashish Choudhary said that since OFTEC was established, nine high-priority fugitives have been deported from different countries, in addition to the latest extradition.
He said two extradition requests sent by the Cell this year have resulted in success, with the earlier case involving fugitive Amritpal Mehron, who was brought back from the UAE.
OFTEC is currently pursuing extradition proceedings against 11 other fugitives based abroad, Choudhary added.
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