CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police has brought back fugitive criminal Amrit Dalam alias Amritpal Sing, one of the most wanted gangsters linked to the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang, from Moldova, marking the force’s first successful extradition of a wanted criminal from a European country.A key operative linked to the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang, Dalam had fled India in October 2024 using a forged passport and was brought to India after a six-month international manhunt under Operation Eastern Reach, news agency ANI reported.Dalam was detained in Moldova and taken into custody by a four-member Punjab Police team on September 11, police said.He faces 21 criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder, extortion and offences under the Arms Act, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Amrit Dalam extradition: How Punjab Police tracked fugitive
According to Punjab Police, the operation was driven by intelligence inputs and sustained international coordination. The extradition was jointly pursued by the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) Punjab and the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC) Punjab), in coordination with central agencies and international partners.Punjab Police DGP Gaurav Yadav described the extradition as a “major breakthrough against transnational organised crime” and a significant milestone in the state’s fight against organised crime.The DGP said the operation involved close coordination between AGTF and OFTEC, along with central agencies and international partners.He also commended the teams involved and thanked the Moldovan and Azerbaijani authorities, IPCU-CBI, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs and other agencies for their cooperation.Yadav said Punjab Police remained committed to ensuring that criminals who flee abroad are brought back to India to face the law.
Amrit Dalam wanted in Hoshiarpur double murder case
Bikramjit Singh Brar, SP, AGTF, said the operation was launched as part of the campaign initiated by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and DGP Gaurav Yadav against gangsters and murders.He said the operation was centrally managed by AGTF Chief Pramod Mann and OFTEC Chief Ashish Chaudhary, along with the IG, and involved coordination with multiple agencies.“It was a six-month-long operation that was later centrally managed by AGTF Chief Shri Pramod Mann and OFTACK Chief Shri Ashish Chaudhary, along with the IG,” he said.Brar said Dalam, who had been on the run since 2024, was brought back to India from Moldova, making the extradition Punjab Police’s first successful operation of its kind from Europe.“This marks the first extradition from Europe, and it’s Punjab Police’s very first successful extradition. He has quite a criminal background and a long record of crimes. Now, the Hoshiarpur team, including the DSPs, has arrived here, as he is wanted in a double murder case in Hoshiarpur,” he added.The Hoshiarpur police team, including DSPs, arrived in connection with the double murder case in which Dalam is wanted, Brar said.The DGP reiterated his thanks to the Moldovan and Azerbaijani authorities, IPCU-CBI, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs and other central agencies for their role in securing the extradition.(With agency inputs)
