CHANDIGARH – In a significant escalation of the state’s crackdown on organized crime, Punjab Cabinet Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) State President Aman Arora announced on Saturday that a high-profile gangster has been successfully extradited from Europe to face trial in India. Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, Arora hailed the extradition as a watershed moment in the Bhagwant Mann government’s “zero-tolerance” policy toward criminals.
Arora used the platform to contrast the current administration’s proactive stance with the alleged negligence of previous regimes. Recalling the 2021 Punjab Vidhan Sabha Budget Session, he pointed out that former Akali Dal-BJP and Congress governments were often mired in political blame games, with leaders publicly accusing each other of harboring notorious figures like Jaggu Bhagwanpuria.
“While previous governments debated over whose gangster was operating in Punjab, the Bhagwant Mann government is ensuring that these individuals are brought back from foreign soil to face the full force of the law,” Arora declared. He asserted that the current administration is dismantling the networks that allowed organized crime to flourish in the state for decades.
A central pillar of this success is the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC), a specialized unit established on January 20, 2026. According to the Minister, the cell has delivered remarkable results in its first seven months of operation, securing the deportation or extradition of 10 wanted criminals. Furthermore, the unit has already submitted 21 additional extradition proposals to the Central Government, signaling a sustained effort to repatriate fugitives who have long evaded justice.
The Minister acknowledged that many gangsters and drug traffickers attempted to insulate themselves from the Punjab Police’s intensified crackdown by relocating their operations abroad. However, Arora issued a stern warning to those operating from overseas, emphasizing that distance will no longer serve as a shield.
“The government is determined to ensure that no criminal sitting abroad can threaten Punjab’s peace and security through extortion, drug trafficking, or other illegal activities,” he said.
OFTEC functions as a centralized hub, coordinating closely with a multi-layered network of agencies, including the Punjab Police, the Bureau of Investigation, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Interpol, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). This inter-agency synergy, Arora noted, is what makes the current pursuit of criminals more effective than ever before.
Looking ahead, the Minister confirmed that the state government’s aggressive campaign against organized crime would continue without interruption. By closing the net on fugitives abroad, the Punjab government aims to restore absolute public safety and eradicate the influence of criminal syndicates that have historically destabilized the region’s law and order.
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