Punjab Police has brought back fugitive gangster Amritpal Singh, alias Amrit Dalam, wanted in multiple cases of murder, UA(P)A and narcotics offences, from Moldova with the assistance of central agencies, the first such extradition secured by it from Europe.
Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said Amritpal, a key operative of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang, was detained by the Moldovan authorities on February 24 while trying to cross the Otaci state border to Ukraine.
Subsequently, the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC) of the Punjab Police began an extradition process to bring him to India. The Court of Chisinau granted extradition of Amritpal Singh to India on May 26. On July16, an appeals court rejected his plea against extradition.
Punjab Police secures first extradition from Europe
The extradition was secured as part of the state police's Operation Eastern Reach, a six-month international manhunt, mounted in coordination with the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) and OFTEC with central agencies and international partners, Yadav said.
Additional Director General of Police, AGTF, Promod Ban, said Amritpal is wanted in cases of murder of Dalbir Singh in Batala in 2019, Amrjeet Lal and Kashmiri Lal in Hoshiarpur in 2024, Dharamjit Singh alias Dharma in 2025, Kanav Mahajan and Sarabjit Singh alias Kaka in 2025 and Jasdeep Singh alias Deep Cheema in 2025.
Amritpal had fled abroad in October 2024 using a fake passport prepared with the particulars of Haryana resident Gurpal.
"This is the first-ever extradition secured by Punjab Police from a European country, marking a significant milestone in our fight against organised crime," said the DGP.
Amritpal was wanted in multiple cases of murder, attempt to murder, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Arms Act and narcotic offences, he said.
Amritpal's movements were tracked across multiple countries while he was on the run, leading to a red corner notice against him, the ADGP said.
Four-member team brings gangster back to India
A four-member Punjab Police team was sent to Moldova to bring back Amritpal.
The team, led by Superintendent of Police, Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) Bikramjit Singh Brar, comprised Inspector Pushvinder Singh, Sub-Inspector Jaspreet Singh and Assistant Sub-Inspector Varinder Kumar.
The team took Amritpal into custody at Chisinau Airport, Moldova, on Friday, and landed at IGI Airport in New Delhi on Saturday morning, DGP said.
The officer thanked the Moldovan authorities, Azerbaijan Authorities, the International Police Cooperation Unit of the Central Bureau of Investigation (IPCU-CBI), the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of External Affairs for help in the operation.
Amritpal gets four days' police remand
Amritpal was produced before a court in Hoshiarpur in connection with a 2024 double-murder case, the officials said.
The court granted four days' police remand of the accused, wanted in connection with the killing of a man and his son outside a primary health centre in Chakowal Brahmana village under the Bullowal police station, they said.
The double murder took place in October 2024 when Kashmiri Lal and his son Amarjit Singh, residents of Talwandi Arayian, were shot at by two motorcycle-borne assailants outside the Primary Health Centre at Chakowal Brahmana.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ashish Choudhary said that since the establishment of OFTEC, nine high-priority fugitives have been deported from different countries.
Two extradition requests sent this year have succeeded, the earlier one being that of Amritpal Mehron from the UAE, he said.
The IGP said the OFTEC is vigorously pursuing extradition of 11 other foreign-based fugitives.
Punjab Police had set up OFTEC to expedite the extradition of foreign-based gangsters.