CHANDIGARH/TARN TARAN: In a major follow-up to the successful deportation of wanted gangster Gurwinder Singh alias Afridi from Ethiopia amidst the intensified drive against organized crime launched as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) Punjab, in a joint operation with Tarn Taran Police, has apprehended five key operatives of the organised criminal network and recovered 11 illegal pistols along with 191 live cartridges from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Sunday.
Those arrested have been identified as Ajaypal Singh, a resident of Gandiwind, Tarn Taran; Jaswinder Singh alias Munsi, a resident of Talwandi Sobha Singh in Tarn Taran; Karanveer alias Karan, a resident of village Kale Ke in Tarn Taran; Ranjit Rana, a resident of village Bhojoke in Tarn Taran; and Ranjit Singh alias Rana, a resident of village Ruknewala in Ferozepur.
The recovered cache comprises five 9MM pistols, five .30-bore pistols, and one .32-bore pistol. The development came following the deportation of gangster Gurwinder Singh alias Afridi from Ethiopia on November 8, 2026, sustained custodial interrogation led to crucial disclosures regarding the identities and operational roles of several operatives actively running his syndicate in Punjab.
Based on the Afridi’s disclosures, AGTF Punjab, in close coordination with Tarn Taran Police, undertook an intelligence-led investigation to identify the shooters and their logistical supporters, establish their individual roles and trace the illegal weapons being used by them, said the Special DGP, while adding that subsequent intelligence development enabled police teams to pinpoint and nab these five operatives, who were acting as shooters and providing logistical backing for executing extortion-linked firing incidents on the directions of foreign-based handlers.
