Wanted in over 30 heinous criminal cases, carried ₹5 lakh reward: Punjab gangster Gurwinder alias Afridi brought back to India

Gurwinder alias Afridi is described as an alleged key kingpin of the Doni Bal-Prabh Dassuwal gang. Police accuse him of directing targeted killings, extortion-related firing and criminal networks in Punjab while operating abroad. His return matters because he had allegedly remained outside India while wanted in more than 30 serious cases.

Afridi is a resident of Tut village in Tarn Taran district. His name emerged in the investigation into the 2022 attack on a church in Thakkarpura. Police also linked him to five high-profile murders, including the killings of Sarpanch Rajwinder, Vicky Chugh and Congress block president Gurmel Singh.

Punjab Police arrested him at Delhi airport during the intervening night of November 7 and 8, after he was brought from Ethiopia. The police said he was being taken to Punjab for legal proceedings. The article does not state the outcome of any case or whether he has been convicted.

Afridi was reportedly wanted in more than 30 serious criminal cases. The cases cover several types of alleged violence and organised crime. They include five murder cases, attempted murder, extortion and offences under the Arms Act. The scale explains why Punjab Police treated his return as a major operation.

The article links him to five high-profile murders in Punjab. These include the killings of Sarpanch Rajwinder alias Raj Talwandi in October 2024, a 12-year-old and Vicky Chugh in March 2025, Jaswant Singh in May 2025, and Congress block president Gurmel Singh in September 2025. His name also surfaced in the 2022 church attack investigation.

A ₹5 lakh reward had been announced by the Punjab government for information leading to him. The article describes accusations and police links, not convictions. Afridi was brought to India for legal proceedings, but it does not state how the cases will conclude.

An organised criminal network is a coordinated group that repeatedly carries out crimes through assigned roles, relationships and planning. Such networks can connect people who arrange attacks, provide weapons, collect money or help members avoid arrest. The article uses this idea in describing the Doni Bal-Prabh Dassuwal gang.

Police describe Afridi as an alleged key kingpin of that gang. They accuse him of directing targeted killings, extortion-related firing incidents and organised criminal networks in Punjab while he operated abroad. His alleged connection to the 2022 Thakkarpura church attack also emerged during questioning of Jaswinder Singh alias Munshi.

The article does not explain the gang’s internal structure or provide evidence detailing each instruction. It reports police allegations and links to more than 30 cases, including five murders. Afridi’s return means investigators can pursue the cases through Indian legal proceedings, but guilt must be established through those proceedings.

Living abroad does not necessarily end a person’s alleged influence over a criminal group. A suspected leader may continue giving directions through associates, but the article does not state exactly how Afridi communicated or managed operations. It only says he was accused of directing killings, extortion-related firing and criminal networks from abroad.

The police linked him to five high-profile murders in Punjab and to the investigation into the Thakkarpura church attack. During questioning in June 2024, Jaswinder Singh alias Munshi allegedly identified Afridi and two others as associates in that attack. Police also said Afridi kept evading agencies across several continents.

The confirmed operational details in the article concern his movements, not his communication system. He left India for the UAE in March 2025 and later moved through several countries. After his arrest and return, investigators can question him and pursue the cases in India. The article does not report any confession, conviction or trial outcome.

An Interpol Red Notice is an international request to locate a wanted person and seek provisional arrest under the laws of the country where that person is found. It is not, by itself, an international arrest warrant. A fake passport is a travel document obtained or used with false identity details, making cross-border tracking harder.

Police said Afridi used a passport obtained with the details of a Gorakhpur resident. It was issued in Lucknow on February 12, 2025. He allegedly used it to leave Mumbai for the UAE on March 31. Punjab Police then secured an Interpol Red Notice and regularly shared information about his false identity and movements with central agencies.

Those steps supported a 10-month international manhunt across Asia, South America and Africa. Police said he moved through the UAE, attempted to reach Mexico via Istanbul, and later travelled through Kenya, Angola and Ethiopia. He was eventually arrested in Ethiopia and brought to India. The article does not state whether the fake passport led to separate charges.

Bringing a wanted person back to India is a broad description of the result, not necessarily the legal method. Extradition is usually a formal process in which one country surrenders a person to another for prosecution or punishment under applicable law. Deportation is a country’s administrative removal of a person, often for immigration or identity violations, without being the same as a criminal surrender.

In Afridi’s case, the article says Punjab Police secured his return from Ethiopia, arrested him at Delhi airport and took him into custody. It does not say that Ethiopia extradited him, deported him, or used another legal procedure. The article therefore does not establish which route formally brought him back.

The distinction matters because the process can affect documentation, court conditions and the offences for which a person may be transferred. Whatever the route, Indian police said Afridi was being taken to Punjab for legal proceedings. Further legal details are not provided in the source.

Afridi’s return places him within the Indian legal process for the cases in which he is wanted. Punjab Police said he was taken into custody at Delhi airport and was being brought to Punjab for legal proceedings. The article does not say whether a court has formally charged him in every case or what punishment could follow.

Investigators may question him about the alleged gang network, the church attack and the five murders linked to him. They can also collect evidence, connect separate case files and present material before courts. These are general features of criminal proceedings; the source specifically confirms only that legal proceedings were to follow.

The immediate reality is that Afridi is no longer being searched for overseas. His custody may help police move forward with cases that had remained difficult while he was abroad. However, allegations are not convictions. The article gives no information about bail, trial dates, evidence findings or the eventual outcome of any case.