Gangster Amritpal Singh extradited to India from Moldova, faces 21 cases in Punjab

Punjab Police's Anti-Gangster Task Force extradited Amritpal Singh from Moldova after a six-month manhunt codenamed Operation Eastern Reach

PGurus Newsdesk

September 12, 2026

Operation Eastern Reach ends with the extradition of gangster Amrit Dalam from Moldova, arrested while allegedly trying to enter Ukraine

Amritpal Singh, alias Amrit Dalam, is accused of being a key hitman for gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and faces 21 criminal cases in Punjab

Punjab Police’s Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) has extradited gangster Amritpal Singh, also known as Amrit Dalam and Gurpal Singh, from Moldova to India, marking the force’s first-ever extradition from a European country. The operation caps off a six-month intelligence-led international manhunt codenamed ‘Operation Eastern Reach‘.

The Chase, And The Arrest

Amritpal Singh had allegedly fled India in October 2024 using a forged passport, according to Punjab Police. He was tracked down and arrested by Moldovan authorities on February 24, 2026, while allegedly attempting to cross the Otaci border into Ukraine. A four-member Punjab Police team then took him into custody on September 11 and brought him back to India.

21 Cases And A Key Role In The Gang

Police describe Amritpal Singh as a key operative and alleged main hitman for gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. He faces 21 criminal cases registered against him in Punjab, spanning murder, attempted murder, the Arms Act, the NDPS Act, the UAPA, and extortion. Four of those cases have already reached the trial stage, while the remaining 17 are still under investigation — among them, a double murder case in Hoshiarpur, for which a local police team has since arrived to take him into further custody.

A Coordinated, Cross-Border Effort

Punjab Police DGP Gaurav Yadav called the extradition a “major breakthrough against transnational organised crime,” crediting sustained coordination between the AGTF and the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC), alongside central agencies and international partners. He specifically thanked authorities in Moldova and Azerbaijan, the IPCU-CBI, and India’s Ministries of Home Affairs and External Affairs for their role in the operation.

SP Bikramjit Singh Brar of the AGTF said the operation forms part of the broader campaign against gangsters launched by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and DGP Yadav, and was centrally managed by AGTF chief Pramod Mann and OFTEC chief Ashish Chaudhary.

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