NEW DELHI: Indian agencies have secured the deportation of three absconding gangsters linked to the Bambiha gang from Malaysia, in the latest action against the criminal syndicate’s overseas network.The fugitives, namely Jaspreet Singh alias Jas Behbal, Ajay Singh and Pawandeep Singh, were apprehended in Malaysia and brought back to India, news agency ANI reported.They were arrested by Punjab Police at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport following their deportation and subsequently taken to Punjab for further investigation.Union home minister Amit Shah announced the development in a post on X, saying the three were linked to the Bambiha Gang and accused of multiple crimes, including extortion, cross-border arms and narco-trafficking and a foiled grenade attack in Punjab’s Ludhiana.“Indian agencies got three absconding Indian gangsters apprehended in Malaysia, deported them to India, and sent them to police custody,” Shah said, adding that agencies had facilitated the deportation of 51 “hardened criminals” in 2026 alone.The deportation was secured through sustained coordination between Indian agencies and Malaysian authorities, ANI reported.
How Bambiha grew into a wider syndicate
The Bambiha gang has expanded well beyond its original base in Punjab, with investigators earlier mapping an inter-state network of around 100 members and associates operating across Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan.A police dossier cited in an earlier investigation had identified different operatives handling regions across north India, while foreign-based members were involved in managing operations from abroad.The syndicate also developed alliances with gangs including the Neeraj Bawana-Naveen Bali, Tillu Tajpuria and Sunil Rathi groups, partly to expand its influence and counter the Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate.The network’s expansion also allowed it to operate across state and international borders, with extortion emerging as an important source of funding for the wider gang alliance.Investigators had found that associates based in countries including Canada and the US were involved in coordinating activities from abroad.
Trio’s alleged role in Punjab crimes
Jaspreet Singh, a resident of Faridkot, travelled to Malaysia in June 2019 and allegedly came into contact with fugitive gangster Simma Behbal before joining the Bambiha gang.Police have identified him as an important Malaysia-based operative and have arrested him in connection with the 2025 murder of Yadwinder Singh, who was the driver of former Panjab University student leader Jeewanjot Singh Chahal alias Jugnu.Ajay Singh and Pawandeep Singh, both from Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, are wanted in connection with an explosives case in Ludhiana.Police allege that the two directed associates to carry out a hand-grenade attack in the city in 2025.The plot was foiled after police arrested two alleged associates on October 27, 2025, and recovered a Chinese P86 hand grenade. Investigators have also been probing suspected links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence in connection with the alleged plot.Punjab Police’s Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC), along with central agencies, had tracked the suspects’ movements for months before their detention and deportation from Malaysia.
Crackdown on overseas fugitives
The action comes amid a broader effort by Indian agencies to bring back gangsters and drug traffickers operating from abroad.Days before the latest announcement, wanted fugitive Virender Singh Basoya was taken into custody at IGI Airport after his return from the UAE.He was described as a key overseas operative accused of coordinating a drug syndicate and facilitating the export of mephedrone consignments, ANI reported.The government has linked such efforts to the Vision Document on Drug Control (2026-2029), under which agencies are working with international counterparts to identify, locate and bring back important narcotics fugitives operating from abroad.(With agency inputs)
