Punjab Police arrest three Bambiha gang members deported from Malaysia (Lead)
Chandigarh, Aug 19 (IANS) In a major breakthrough against transnational organised crime, the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC) of the Counter Intelligence Wing, with assistance from Central agencies, secured the deportation of three wanted operatives linked to the Davinder Bambiha gang from Malaysia, said Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav here on Wednesday.
The deported accused have been identified as Jaspreet Singh, alias Jas Behbal, a resident of Faridkot, and Ajay Singh and Pawandeep Singh, both residents of Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan.
DGP Yadav said the trio were arrested by Punjab Police at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi upon their deportation to India from Malaysia and were subsequently brought to Punjab for further investigation.
The DGP said all three are key Malaysia-based operatives of the Davinder Bambiha Gang, and wanted in multiple cases involving murder, extortion, explosives and a planned hand-grenade blast in Ludhiana with links to Pakistan’s ISI.
Sharing more details, Additional Director General of Police (Counter Intelligence) Amit Prasad said the deportation and arrest of these three fugitives is the culmination of a sustained intelligence-led operation, which continued for several months, during which the movements and activities of the fugitives were closely tracked.
The coordinated efforts ultimately led to their detention in Malaysia and deportation to India, he said.
Inspector General of Police (OFTEC) Ashish Choudhary said accused Jaspreet travelled to Malaysia in June 2019, where he came into contact with a fugitive gangster through whom he joined the Bambiha Gang and gradually emerged as an important operative of the gang.
The accused has been formally arrested in connection with the 2025 murder case of Yadwinder Singh and the driver of Jeewanjot Singh Chahal, a former Panjab University, Chandigarh, leader, he said.
He said accused Ajay Singh and Pawandeep Singh are also key operatives of the Bambiha Gang, who had tasked their ground operatives to carry out a hand grenade blast in Ludhiana city in 2025. However, Ludhiana Commissionerate Police had averted the attack with the arrest of their two associates and had recovered one P86 Chinese hand grenade from their possession on October 27, 2025.
Meanwhile, on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Police have established OFTEC to nab criminals sitting abroad and expedite their extradition process to bring them back to the state to face legal action.
–IANS
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