Archive · 13 Sep 2026
Punjab Police Secures First European Extradition From Moldova
Punjab Police said it brought Amritpal Singh back to India from Moldova.
Police also used the names Amrit Dalam and Amrit Dalm for him.
They describe him as an alleged important member of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang.
Police say he is wanted in cases involving killings, weapons, drugs and the UAPA law.
Moldova detained him while he was trying to cross toward Ukraine.
Moldovan courts later approved his extradition and rejected his appeal.
The operation to find and return him lasted six months and involved several Indian and foreign agencies.
Punjab Police said this was its first extradition from a European country.
Punjab Police brought alleged Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang operative Amritpal Singh back to India from Moldova.
Police said Singh, also known as Amrit Dalam or Amrit Dalm, is wanted in murder, attempted murder, UAPA, Arms Act and narcotics cases.
The extradition followed the six-month intelligence-led Operation Eastern Reach, involving Punjab’s AGTF, OFTEC, central agencies and international partners.
Moldovan authorities detained Singh on February 24; a Chisinau court approved extradition on May 26, and an appeal was rejected on July 16.
Police called it their first extradition from a European country; a related campaign reported 601 raids, 261 arrests and four weapons recovered in one day.
- Who
- Punjab Police, with central agencies and international partners, extradited Amritpal Singh, also known as Amrit Dalam or Amrit Dalm.
- What
- Singh, whom police describe as an alleged key operative of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang, was extradited to India to face criminal proceedings.
- When
- The extradition was announced on Saturday, September 12; the reports do not specify the year. Moldova detained Singh on February 24, the extradition was approved on May 26, and his appeal was rejected on July 16.
- Where
- Singh was extradited from the Republic of Moldova and brought to Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
- Why
- Police said he is wanted in cases involving murder, attempted murder, UAPA, the Arms Act and narcotics offences.
Police and Government Position
Political Criticism and Context
Significance of the extradition
Police and Government Position
Punjab Police and Minister Aman Arora described the extradition as a major breakthrough against transnational organised crime and evidence of the Bhagwant Mann government’s firm position against gangsterism.
Political Criticism and Context
Arora alleged that previous Akali-BJP and Congress governments allowed gangsterism to flourish, citing past disputes over alleged links between politicians and gangsters. The reports contain no response from those parties.
Pursuing overseas fugitives
Police and Government Position
The government said Punjab is pursuing criminals abroad and that OFTEC had helped secure the deportation or extradition of 10 wanted fugitives, with 21 additional proposals pending with the central government.
Political Criticism and Context
The reports provide no independent assessment or opposition response to those figures or to the government’s broader claims about its anti-gangster efforts.
- Extradited person
- Amritpal Singh, also known as Amrit Dalam or Amrit Dalm
- Alleged affiliation
- Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang
- Operation
- Operation Eastern Reach, a six-month intelligence-led international manhunt
- Legal process
- Moldova detained Singh on February 24; extradition was approved on May 26 and his appeal was rejected on July 16
- Punjab Police milestone
- Police described it as the force’s first extradition from a European country
- International cooperation
- Authorities in Moldova and Azerbaijan, the International Police Cooperation Unit of the Central Bureau of Investigation, and the Ministries of Home Affairs and External Affairs
- Related campaign figures
- Police reported 601 raids, 261 arrests, four weapons recovered and 69,703 total arrests since the Gangstran Te Vaar campaign began
Sources
Gangster’s extradition from Moldova shows Mann govt’s resolve: Punjab minister
Punjab Police Secures First-Ever Extradition From European Nation
Fugitive extradited from Republic of Moldova: Punjab police
Punjab Police Extradites Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Gang Operative Amritpal Singh From Moldova In Major Organised Crime Breakthrough | Watch
Punjab Police score first Europe extradition, bring Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang associate back from Moldova