The Punjab Police have prepared case histories of nearly 100 “wanted” criminals, with 20 of them suspected to be hiding in the US, even as the first flight of deported illegal immigrants is on its way to India from the US.
“There is a low probability that the flight will be carrying dangerous criminals wanted in Punjab and elsewhere in the country, but ever since US President Donald Trump ordered a crackdown on illegal immigrants and criminals, we have been working to finalise the files of criminals to facilitate their deportation or extradition,” said a senior police official.
“The case history of about 100 criminals is already being finalised by the Counter-Intelligence Unit, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force and the Anti-Gangster Task Force,” said the official. He said there were renewed hopes about the willingness of the new US government to send wanted criminals to India.
“The announcement by the US President that he will not allow his country’s soil to be used for violence is encouraging for the police as we have been seeking the deportation or extradition of wanted criminals, including Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) head Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. He has been encouraging illegal immigration from Punjab. So, we prepared the case files immediately to facilitate the process,” said the official.
“The beginning of the process of deporting illegal immigrants means the US may speed up action against Punjab gangsters operating from the US and stoking violence here,” said the official.
Notable among the wanted criminals said to be in the US are Sidhu Moosewala murder accused Anmol Bishnoi, who is the younger brother of dreaded gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Others include Happy Passia, who is involved in recent grenade attacks at police installations in Punjab, drug smuggler Sarwan Bhola and Gopi Nawanshehria.
So far, the state police have not received information about the identity of the illegal immigrants sent back home by the US. The police are in touch with the MEA and the Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as the National Investigation Agency, regarding the identity of the immigrants and the deportation process.
