Most wanted Punjab gangster Afridi brought back from Ethiopia after 10 month international manhunt
PTC News Desk: Punjab Police on Sunday secured the deportation of most wanted gangster Gurwinder alias Afridi and he was brought back to India from Ethiopia. He landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport early in the morning and is being escorted to Punjab by a team of the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF).
Afridi, a resident of Tut village in Tarn Taran district, carries a reward of Rs 5 lakh announced by the Punjab government. Airport sources said the team escorting him is being led by AGTF SP Bikram Brar.
According to police sources, this is the first time Punjab Police has managed to bring back a fugitive from an African country. The operation is part of the state police's ongoing efforts to trace gangsters who have escaped abroad.
To improve these efforts, Punjab Police has set up an Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC). The cell will coordinate with central agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities to track down and bring back wanted criminals.
Special DGP (AGTF) Parmod Ban and Special DGP (Counter Intelligence) are expected to address a press conference later on Sunday.
Cases against Afridi
Afridi's name came up during the investigation into the August 31, 2022, attack on a church in Thakkarpura village of Tarn Taran. In the incident, four masked men allegedly held the church's security guard hostage at gunpoint, damaged the statues of Lord Jesus and Mother Mary, and set the pastor's car on fire before escaping.
In June 2024, Amritsar Rural Police arrested Jaswinder Singh, alias Munshi, describing him as a key accused in the case. During initial questioning, Munshi allegedly named Afridi and two others as his accomplices in the attack, as reported earlier by Hindustan Times. Police then began searching for the other suspects.
Afridi was also named in a 2021 FIR registered at Sadar Patti police station in Tarn Taran. The case was registered under Sections 380 and 457 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), related to theft and house-breaking, and Section 25 of the Arms Act.
However, in February 2024, the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed the FIR and the subsequent proceedings against the petitioners after the parties reached a compromise.
- PTC NEWS
