How Punjab Police pulled off a 10-month international operation to bring gangster Afridi home
Chandigarh: A 12-year-old boy, an elected village representative and a Congress functionary are among the victims in five murder cases in which gangster Gurwinder Singh alias Afridi is wanted.
After allegedly running criminal operations in Punjab from foreign shores, Afridi has been brought back to India from Ethiopia following a 10-month international manhunt.
Afridi was detained in Ethiopia on November 6 and deported to India. He arrived at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport in the early hours of November 8, where a Punjab Police team took him into custody for further investigation.
The operation, codenamed 'Operation Shahid', involved Punjab Police's Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC), central agencies,and international law enforcement networks.
According to Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, the operation was part of the state's intensified campaign against organised criminal networks.
The Punjab government announced a Rs 5 lakh reward for information leading to Afridi's arrest.
Wanted in 35 cases, including five murders
The extent of the allegations against Afridi is reflected in the 35 criminal cases in which he is wanted, including five murder cases.
Among the killings associated with the cases are the October 2024 murder of AAP sarpanch Rajwinder alias Raj Talwandi, the March 2025 killing of 12-year-old Gursewak Singh and the murder of Vicky Chugh, also in March 2025.
The list also includes the May 2025 murder of Jaswant Singh and the September 2025 killing of Gurmel Singh, a Congress block president.
Police investigations suggest that Afridi allegedly continued to orchestrate criminal activities in Punjab despite operating from outside India.
Preliminary findings indicate his suspected involvement in targeted killings, extortion-related firing incidents and other organised criminal activities.
Afridi is identified as a key kingpin of the Doni Bal-Prabh Dassuwal gang, which Punjab Police has been monitoring
How Punjab Police tracked him down
Tracking Afridi was a prolonged international exercise, with investigators following his movements across multiple countries as he repeatedly changed locations to evade arrest.
The 10-month operation relied on intelligence gathering, surveillance and coordination with central agencies and international law enforcement authorities.
AGTF Special DGP Pramod Ban supervised the operation, while OFTEC IG Ashish Chaudhary coordinated with the agencies involved.
Punjab Police described the operation as its first successful deportation of a wanted fugitive from an African country.
'Operation Shahid' was undertaken as part of 'Gangstran Te Vaar', Punjab's anti-gangster campaign launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
With Afridi now in Punjab Police custody, investigators are expected to question him over his alleged role in the five murder cases, extortion-related violence and the wider activities of the gang.