Major breakthrough under the 10-month multi-continental ‘Operation Shahid’; Kingpin of Doni Bal-Prabh Dasuwal gang wanted in over 30 cases arrested, DGP Gaurav Yadav shares details
In a historic success under its ongoing crackdown against organized crime and gangsters titled ‘Gangstaran Te Vaar’, the Punjab Police—in coordination with the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), the Counter Intelligence Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC), and central agencies—has successfully deported fugitive gangster Gurwinder Singh alias Afridi from Ethiopia to India. This marks Punjab Police’s first-ever major operation bringing back a fugitive criminal from an African country to India.
Gurwinder Afridi, the main kingpin of the Doni Bal-Prabh Dasuwal gang, had been operating from abroad, orchestrating sensational murders, extortion shootings, and an illegal criminal network in Punjab. The Punjab government had announced a reward of ₹5 Lakhs for information leading to his arrest. He was wanted in over 30 serious criminal cases, including the murders of Sarpanch Rajwinder alias Raj Talwandi, 12-year-old boy Gursewak Singh, Vicky Chugh, Jaswant Singh, and Congress Block President Gurmail Singh.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav stated that the accused had fled from Mumbai airport to the UAE on March 31, 2025, using a fake passport manufactured in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on February 12, 2025, under the identity of a Gorakhpur resident. To evade law enforcement agencies, he continuously hopped across multiple continents. After failing in an attempt to escape to Mexico, he moved to Kenya in June 2026, Angola, and eventually reached Ethiopia in November 2026.
Punjab Police had secured a Red Corner Notice against Gurwinder Afridi and issued seven Interpol references regarding his fake identity and movements. Throughout the 10-month international operation named ‘Operation Shahid’, police and intelligence agencies closely tracked his activities across Asia, South America, and Africa. Following coordinated efforts, he was detained in Ethiopia on November 6, 2026, and brought back to India.
After taking him into custody at the New Delhi airport, he is being brought back to Punjab for further legal proceedings. The DGP expressed gratitude to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and central intelligence and investigative agencies for providing seamless international cooperation to ensure this deportation.
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