Punjab Police: The ‘Gangsteren Te War’ (Action Against Gangsters) campaign, launched on the instructions of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, has achieved a major success against international organized crime. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said on Saturday that Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) Punjab, in collaboration with ‘Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell’ (OFTEC) Punjab and central agencies, has succeeded in deporting and bringing back absconding gangster Jobanjit Singh alias Joban Billa from Jakarta, Indonesia.
The accused Joban Billa was detained in Indonesia on July 20, 2026 and later deported to India. Punjab Police took him into their custody from Mumbai Airport and is being brought to Punjab for further investigation.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said, “This operation is the successful culmination of ‘Operation Nomad Hunt’ – a six-month long international operation that involved continuous surveillance, strategic intelligence gathering and close coordination with national and international agencies.” The DGP said accused Joban Billa is wanted in several serious criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder, offenses under the NDPS Act and Arms Act.
According to the information received, accused Joban Billa fled abroad on January 9, 2025 using a passport made on the basis of false information of a resident of Gorakhpur. This passport was issued on March 8, 2024 from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that accused Joban Billa was evading arrest by carrying out his activities in many countries. Joban was first hiding in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from where he went to Georgia and then from Georgia to Indonesia.
“Punjab Police had issued a Red Corner Notice against accused Joban Billah and information about his fake passport and whereabouts was shared with central agencies from time to time. Besides this, five Interpol references were also issued,” he said. He further said that due to persistent and tireless efforts the accused could be detained in Indonesia.
The special thing is that ‘Operation Nomad Hunt’ has been carried out under the strict supervision of AGTF Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Pramod Ban and under the leadership of AGTF/OFTEC Superintendent of Police (SP) Bikramjit Singh Brar.
ADGP Pramod Ban said that the accused Joban Billa is wanted in four murder cases registered in Punjab, which include the murder of Jarnail Singh in Sathiala village of Amritsar in May 2023, the murder of Dipu Ajnala in January 2024, the murder of 12-year-old boy Gursevak Singh in March 2025 and the murder of Vicky Chugh in March 2025.
Meanwhile, on the instructions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Police has formed OFTEC. Headed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ashish Choudhary, the unit will work to expedite the extradition process of reaching criminals abroad and bringing them back to Punjab for legal action.
