DW BUREAU / Chandigarh A 10-month intelligence-led international manhunt involving spanning across Asia, South America and Africa in coordination with national and international agencies led to the arrest of gangster Gurwinder Singh alias Afridi from Ethiopia, Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav said here on Sunday. 

Yadav told the media here that Afridi, one of the key kingpins of the Doni Bal-Prabh Dassuwal gang, carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh announced by the state government on information leading to his arrest.He is facing charges of directing targeted killings, extortion-related firing incidents, and organised criminal networks in Punjab while operating from abroad.

The DGP said the accused is wanted in more than 30 heinous criminal cases, including five murder cases, attempt to murder, extortion, and Arms Act offences.

Saying that his arrest is a major breakthrough against transnational organised crime amid the ongoing campaign 'Gangstran Te Vaar' launched by Punjab Police's Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), in coordination with the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC) of Counter Intelligence and support of central agencies, the DGP added that the arrest was secured following his deportation from Ethiopia.

"This marks the first-ever deportation of a fugitive secured by Punjab Police from an African country, heralding a new chapter in the state's relentless crackdown against organised crime," DGP Yadav said, accompanying Special DGP (AGTF) Promod Ban and Special DGP (Counter Intelligence) Amit Prasad.

His arrest marked the successful culmination of 'Operation SHAHID' -- a 10-month-manhunt involving sustained surveillance, strategic intelligence gathering, and tracking across multiple countries, he added.

Sharing operational details, the DGP said that accused Afridi had fled abroad from the Mumbai airport to the UAE on March 31, 2025, using a fake passport obtained under the particulars of a Gorakhpur resident and issued from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh on February 12, 2025.

The accused was constantly evading law enforcement agencies across several continents, DGP Yadav said, adding that initially holed up in the UAE, the accused attempted to flee to Mexico via Istanbul, but was deported back to the UAE.

Subsequently, the accused slipped into Kenya in April 2026, travelled onwards to Angola in June 2026, and moved to Ethiopia in November 2026.

DGP Yadav said that Punjab Police have got a Red Notice issued against Afridi, shared inputs regarding his fake identity and movements with central agencies at critical intervals, and had seven INTERPOL references issued.

The persistent multi-agency pursuit led to his detention in Ethiopia on November 6 and his subsequent deportation to India. He was taken into custody by Punjab Police at the New Delhi Airport and is being brought to Punjab to face the law.