Chandigarh: In a first-ever extradition from Europe and a major breakthrough against transnational organised crime, Punjab Police with the assistance of central agencies secured the extradition of fugitive criminal Amritpal Singh, alias Amrit Dalam, a key operative of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang, from the Republic of Moldova, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Saturday.
He is wanted in multiple cases of murders, attempt to murder, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Arms Act and Narcotic offences, etc, the DGP wrote on X.
He said this was the first-ever extradition secured by Punjab Police from a European country, marking a significant milestone in the fight against organised crime.
“The success of Operation Eastern Reach, a six-month Intelligence-led international manhunt, was made possible through sustained surveillance and close coordination of the AGTF (Anti-Gangster Task Force) Punjab and OFTEC (Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell) Punjab with central agencies and international partners,” the DGP said.
He commended the AGTF and the OFTEC for their relentless efforts.
The DGP also thanked the Moldovan authorities, Azerbaijan authorities, the International Police Cooperation Unit (IPCU) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Ministries of Home Affairs and External Affairs and all other central agencies as part of the international cooperation.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Police’s ‘Gangstran Te Vaar’ campaign entered its 235th day on Saturday. A day earlier, the police conducted 601 raids at identified and mapped locations linked to associates of gangsters across the state.
As per the information, after the campaign was launched by the Punjab DGP on January 20, police teams from all the districts in coordination with the AGTF have been conducting special operations across the state.
On Friday, police recovered four weapons and arrested 261 individuals, taking the total arrests to 69,703 since the launch of the campaign.
Apart from this, preventive action has been taken against 236 people. Police teams have also arrested eight proclaimed offenders during the operation, an official statement said.
(IANS)
