Punjab Police brings wanted gangster Gurvinder Afridi from Ethiopia to India

Punjab Police has brought back Gurvinder, also known as Afridi, one of the state's most wanted gangsters, from Ethiopia to the country. According to a report by Hindustan Times, he landed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport early Sunday morning. A special team of the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) is accompanying him to take him to Punjab.

Airport sources stated that the team taking him is led by AGTF SP Bikram Brar. Afridi, a resident of Tut village in Tarn Taran district, had a ₹5 lakh reward announced by the Punjab government. Police sources described this operation as the first instance of the Punjab Police bringing back a fugitive from an African country.

This operation comes at a time when the state police are making efforts to locate gangsters who have fled abroad. To strengthen these efforts, the Punjab Police has established the 'Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell' (OFTEC) to coordinate with foreign agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.

Special DGP (AGTF) Parmod Ban and Special DGP (Counter Intelligence) are likely to address a press conference late Sunday to provide more details on the matter. Afridi's name surfaced during the investigation into an attack on a church in Thakarpura village, Tarn Taran, on August 31, 2022. At that time, four masked individuals held the church security guard at gunpoint, vandalized idols of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary, and fled after setting the pastor's car on fire.

In June 2024, Amritsar Rural Police arrested Jaswinder Singh, alias Munshi, who was considered the main accused in this case. According to the Hindustan Times report, during preliminary interrogation, Munshi named Afridi and two other individuals as participants in the attack, following which the police began searching for other suspects.

An FIR had also been registered against Afridi at the said Patti Police Station in Tarn Taran in 2021 under IPC sections 380, 457 (theft and housebreaking) and Section 25 of the Arms Act. However, following a settlement between the parties, the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed this FIR and subsequent proceedings against the applicants in February 2024.

Gurvinder Afridi was a resident of Tut village in Tarn Taran district and had cases registered against him under various criminal sections. A ₹5 lakh reward had been announced on him by the Punjab government, and he had been out of the police's reach for a long time.