In a major success, the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of the Punjab Police secured the deportation of fugitive gangster Gurwinder alias Afridi from Ethiopia. The deportation was secured under Operation SHAHID of Punjab Police, carried out in coordination with the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC) of Counter Intelligence, with support from Central Agencies.
Announcing the development, DGP Punjab Police Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigation by the police revealed that the gangster Gurwinder was directing targeted killings, extortion-related firing incidents and organised criminal activities in Punjab from abroad. The Punjab government had announced a reward of ₹5 lakh for information leading to his arrest.
“In a major breakthrough, Anti-Gangster Task Force (#AGTF) Punjab, in coordination with the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (#OFTEC) of Counter Intelligence, Punjab, with the support of Central Agencies, secures the deportation of Gurwinder alias Afridi, a key kingpin of the Doni Bal–Prabh Dassuwal gang, from Ethiopia following a 10-month-long international manhunt under Operation SHAHID,” DGP Yadav said.
In a major breakthrough, Anti-Gangster Task Force (#AGTF) Punjab, in coordination with the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (#OFTEC) of Counter Intelligence, Punjab with the support of Central Agencies, secures the deportation of Gurwinder alias Afridi, a key kingpin of the Doni Bal–Prabh Dassuwal gang, from Ethiopia following a 10-month-long international manhunt under Operation SHAHID. Preliminary investigation reveals that the accused was allegedly directing targeted killings, extortion-related firing incidents and organised criminal activities in Punjab from abroad. The Punjab Government had announced a reward of ₹5 lakh on the information leading to his arrest. The operation involved sustained intelligence gathering, surveillance and tracking across multiple countries in Asia, South-America and Africa, in close coordination with national and international agencies. We thank the Ministry of External Affairs and all other central agencies as part of this international cooperation. @PunjabPoliceInd remains committed to dismantling gangster networks, preventing organised crime and ensuring peace and security across #Punjab.
— DGP Punjab Police (@DGPPunjabPolice) November 8, 2026
He thanked the Ministry of External Affairs and all other central agencies for their cooperation in the international operation.
Gurwinder, a resident of Tut village in Tarn Taran district, is a key kingpin of the Doni Bal–Prabh Dassuwal gang. He was nabbed after a 10-month-long manhunt under Operation SHAHID. An AGTF team led by AGTF SP Bikram Brar escorted him. The arrest came as a result of intelligence gathering, surveillance and tracking operations conducted across several countries in Asia, South America and Africa to locate him. This is reportedly the first time that the Punjab Police secured the return of a fugitive from an African country.
The gangster’s criminal antecedents
Gurwinder’s name emerged on August 31, 2022, during the investigation into an attack on a church in Thakkarpura village of Tarn Taran. In the incident, four masked men held the church’s security guard hostage at gunpoint, vandalised statues of Lord Jesus and Mother Mary and set the pastor’s car on fire before fleeing.
In June 2024, Jaswinder Singh alias Munshi, named as the main accused, was arrested by Amritsar Rural Police in connection with the incident. During questioning, Munshi named Afridi and his two accomplices in connection with the attack on the church.
Besides, Gurwinder was named in an FIR registered in 2021 at Sadar Patti police station in Tarn Taran in connection with a theft and house-breaking incident. The FIR included Sections 380 and 457 of the IPC and Section 25 of the Arms Act. However, the FIR was later quashed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2024, following a compromise between the parties.
