Spotlight
oi-Oneindia Staff
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab President and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora on Saturday said the extradition of a wanted gangster from Moldova was a major sign of the Bhagwant Mann government’s “no-compromise” policy against organised crime.
Punjab minister Aman Arora highlighted the extradition of gangster Amritpal Singh from Moldova as proof of the Mann government’s no-compromise policy against organised crime, aided by the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC) which has returned 10 fugitives since January 20, 2026.
Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, Arora contrasted the current government’s action against gangsters with the situation during previous Akali-BJP and Congress governments. He recalled how, during the 2021 Budget Session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, leaders from the Congress and Akali Dal had publicly traded allegations over gangster links.
“Jaggu Bhagwanpuria is your product”, Arora quoted the political exchange between Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia, saying that such discussions showed how deeply gangsterism had entered Punjab’s politics at the time.
Arora said the Mann government has been working to ensure that gangsters cannot operate from Punjab or from foreign countries. He said the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC), set up on January 20, 2026, has helped bring back 10 wanted fugitives through deportation or extradition in seven months.
Another 21 extradition proposals are currently pending with the Central Government.
Among the latest fugitives brought back is gangster Amritpal Singh alias Amrit Dalam, who was extradited from Moldova on Saturday. He is wanted in three serious cases.
Other wanted criminals have been brought back from Malaysia, Indonesia, the UAE and the US. These include Ajay Singh alias Ajay Malaysia, Pawandeep Singh, Jaspreet Singh alias Jass Behbal, Manjeet Singh, Gurvinder Singh, Jobanjit Billa, Amritpal Singh Mehron, Bhuvnesh Chopra and Kamal alias Kamal Athwal alias Kamalpreet Singh Billa.
Arora said OFTEC works with the Punjab Police, Bureau of Investigation, CBI, Interpol, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs and the National Investigation Agency to trace fugitives and coordinate their return.
The AAP leader also appealed to the Centre to take stronger action against gangsters operating from jails and alleged safe havens in BJP-ruled states.
“These gangsters, sitting in jails and safe havens in BJP-ruled states, are running not only national but international rackets,” he said.
Arora argued that such networks cannot be tackled by state police alone, particularly as criminals increasingly use encrypted messaging and voice calls.
“Tracking these cannot be the responsibility of the state police alone. For this, there is a need for central agencies and a national-level campaign, a national-level movement,” he said.
He said the Punjab Police had already played a major role in bringing the state out of the dark days of terrorism and would continue taking action against organised crime.
Arora also urged people to immediately inform the police about criminal activity, planned attacks or extortion calls so that authorities can take timely action.
He assured Punjab residents that the Mann government and Punjab Police would continue their crackdown on gangster networks and work to protect peace and security in the state.
