Gangster Gurwinder alias Afridi, wanted in more than 30 heinous criminal cases, was brought to India from Ethiopia by the Punjab Police on Sunday.
Police sources told HT that this was the first time the Punjab Police had secured the return of a fugitive from an African country.
During his initial questioning, Munshi allegedly identified Afridi and two others as his associates in the attack, HT had reported earlier. Police then began searching for the remaining suspects. Police have linked Afridi to five high-profile murders in Punjab.
Afridi, a resident of Tut village in Tarn Taran district, carried a ₹ 5 lakh reward announced by the Punjab government. Officials said he was taken into custody by the state police at Delhi airport during the intervening night of November 7 and 8 and was being brought to Punjab to face legal proceedings. In June 2024, Amritsar Rural Police arrested Jaswinder Singh, alias Munshi, describing him as a key accused in the case. These include the killings of Sarpanch Rajwinder, alias Raj Talwandi, in October 2024; a 12-year-old in March 2025; Vicky Chugh in March 2025; Jaswant Singh in May 2025; and Congress block president Gurmel Singh in September 2025. Afridi later entered Kenya in April 2026, travelled to Angola in June 2026 and moved to Ethiopia in November 2026, where he was eventually arrested.
Yadav said the Punjab Police had secured an Interpol Red Notice against Afridi and regularly shared information about his false identity and movements with central agencies.
His name surfaced during the investigation into an attack on a church in Thakkarpura village of Tarn Taran on August 31, 2022. Four masked men allegedly held the church’s security guard at gunpoint, damaged statues of Lord Jesus and Mother Mary, and set the pastor’s car on fire before escaping.
