Punjab Police bring back fugitive from Austria

Chandigarh, Sep 13 (IANS) Punjab Police in coordination with central agencies have brought back fugitive Amritpal Singh, a resident of Bhoma village in Batala, from Austria to face charges of numerous heinous crimes.

Singh landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi at 7 am on Friday and was taken into custody by the Batala Police.

“After tireless efforts by @PunjabPoliceInd in coordination with central agencies, Amritpal Singh resident of Village Bhoma, PS Ghuman, has been successfully deported from #Austria to #India to face charges in numerous serious criminal cases,” informed the Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav in a post on his X handle. 

Pertinently, accused Amritpal Singh is a proclaimed offender (PO) staying illegally in Austria. DGP Gaurav Yadav said that the deported accused has been involved in various heinous crimes, including murder, attempted murder, drug offences, and violations under the Arms Act.

His deportation is a significant step toward ensuring justice for the victims, he added.

The DGP commended the strenuous efforts of the entire team of Batala Police led by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Batala Suhail Qasim Mir and the Internal Security Wing of Punjab Police for bringing fugitive Amritpal Singh back to India to face justice.

Sharing more details, SSP (Batala) Suhail Qasim Mir said the accused Amritpal Singh, who was declared proclaimed offender in several cases, had fled to Austria via Dubai and Serbia in 2022 and had been evading arrest since then.

He had also applied for political asylum there, he added. “After sustained efforts and cooperation with the international authorities, Punjab Police have ensured his repatriation to India to face justice,” said the SSP.

Last month the fugitive of the 2016 Nabha jailbreak in Punjab, Ramanjit Singh, also known as Romy, was extradited from Hong Kong in an operation coordinated by the CBI and Punjab Police’s Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF).

Romy was in contact with the ISI and other escaped prisoners, including Harminder Singh Mintu and Kashmir Singh Galwaddi of the Khalistan Liberation Force.

The extradition process was started in 2018 under a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the Hong Kong government.

--IANS

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