With the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections approaching and speculation gaining momentum over a possible BJP-Akali Dal alliance, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has stepped up its political offensive on the issue of gangsters and organised crime.
Cabinet Minister and senior AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday claimed that Punjab Police had brought back 17 gangsters from foreign countries over the past six months.
Those named include Ramanjit Singh Romi from Hong Kong, Amrit Singh from the Maldives, Prabhpreet Singh from Germany, Parminder Singh Pindi from the UAE, Sajjan Mahesh and Sukhdev Kumar alias Manish Baidi from Indonesia, Ajay Singh, Pawandeep Singh and Jaspreet Singh from Malaysia, and Karmbir Singh Deol from Canada. However, beyond the police figures and claims of international coordination, Cheema’s statement also carried a clear political message, with AAP directly targeting its traditional rivals over the gangster culture in Punjab. Cabinet Minister and senior AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday claimed that Punjab Police had brought back 17 gangsters from foreign countries over the past six months, asserting that the state government had sent out a strong message that criminals could no longer evade the law by escaping abroad. Projecting the action as a major success of the government’s ‘Gangstran Te Vaar’ campaign, Cheema said the police had conducted 1,61,266 raids between January 20 and November 7 and arrested around 2,162 proclaimed offenders (POs).
Several wanted gangsters have been brought back to India from different countries as part of coordinated international operations, according to Cheema. “These operations demonstrate the determination and capabilities of our police force in pursuing criminals beyond geographical boundaries,” Cheema said, adding that the government would ensure strong evidence was presented before courts to secure convictions. The minister alleged that gangsters were “created and nurtured during the Akali-BJP rule and allowed to flourish under the Congress”, accusing the previous governments of failing to tackle organised crime effectively.
