Gurwinder aka Afridi, against whom the Punjab government had announced a reward of ₹5 lakh, landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport
Punjab Police on Sunday secured the return of wanted gangster Gurwinder alias Afridi from Ethiopia. He arrived at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport early morning and is being taken to Punjab by a team of the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF).
Afridi, a resident of Tut village in Tarn Taran district, carries a reward of ₹5 lakh announced by the Punjab government. The AGTF team is being led by SP Bikram Brar, airport sources said. Police sources described the operation as the first time Punjab Police had secured the return of a fugitive from an African country.
The operation is part of the state police’s efforts to track down gangsters who have fled abroad. Punjab Police has set up an Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC) to coordinate with central agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.
Afridi is wanted in several criminal cases, including the August 31, 2022, desecration of a church in Thakkarpura village in Tarn Taran. Four masked men allegedly vandalised statues of Lord Jesus and Mother Mary and set the pastor’s car on fire.
Special DGP (AGTF) Parmod Ban and Special DGP (Counter Intelligence) are expected to brief the media later on Sunday.
Cases against Afridi
One of the prominent cases linked to him is the August 2022 desecration of a church in Thakkarpura village of Tarn Taran. On August 31, 2022, four masked men allegedly broke into the church, held its security guard hostage at gunpoint and vandalised the statues of Lord Jesus and Mother Mary. They also set the pastor's car on fire before fleeing.
The case came back into focus in June 2024, when Amritsar Rural Police arrested Jaswinder Singh alias Munshi, describing him as a key accused. During preliminary interrogation, Munshi allegedly disclosed that he had carried out the attack along with Afridi and two other accomplices, HT reported earlier. Police subsequently launched a search for Afridi and the other suspects.
Afridi was also named in a 2021 case registered at Sadar Patti police station in Tarn Taran under provisions relating to theft, house-breaking and illegal possession of arms. The Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed the FIR and subsequent proceedings against the petitioners in February 2024 after a compromise between the parties.
