Chandigarh: Punjab Police’s Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), in coordination with its Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC) and central agencies, secured the deportation of fugitive gangster Jobanjit Singh, alias Joban Billa, from Jakarta in Indonesia, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Saturday.
The accused was detained in Indonesia on July 20 and subsequently deported to India. He was taken into custody by the Punjab Police from the Mumbai airport and is being brought to Punjab for further investigation.
“The operation marks the successful culmination of Operation Nomad Hunt, a six-month-long intelligence-led international manhunt involving sustained surveillance, strategic intelligence gathering and close coordination with national and international agencies,” said DGP Yadav.
He said accused Joban Billa has been wanted in multiple heinous criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder, NDPS Act and Arms Act offences. As per information, the accused fled abroad on January 9, 2025, using a passport prepared on fake particulars of a Gorakhpur resident. The passport was issued from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh on March 8, 2024.
DGP Yadav said the accused was evading arrest by operating across multiple countries. Joban was earlier hiding in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from where he travelled to Georgia, and further from Georgia, he travelled to Indonesia.
“Punjab Police had issued a Red Corner Notice against accused Joban Billa and inputs regarding his fake passport and whereabouts were shared with central agencies at different intervals. In addition, five INTERPOL references were also issued,” he said, adding sustained and persistent efforts led to the detention of the accused.
Pertinently, the Operation Nomad Hunt has been executed under the close supervision of Additional Director General of Police (AGTF) Promod Ban and led by Superintendent of Police Bikramjit Singh Brar.
Ban said accused Joban Billa is wanted in four murder cases registered in Punjab, including the murder of Jarnail Singh in Sathiala village in Amritsar in May 2023, the murder of Deepu Ajnala in January 2024, the murder of 12-year-old boy Gursewak Singh in March 2025 and the murder of Vicky Chugh in March 2025.
Meanwhile, on the direction of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Police has established OFTEC, headed by Inspector General of Police Ashish Choudhary, to reach out to criminals sitting abroad and expedite their extradition process to bring them back to Punjab to face legal action.
(IANS)
