Gangster Lakhvinder's deportation from US a major success: Haryana DGP

Chandigarh, Oct 26 (PTI) Haryana DGP O P Singh on Sunday said the deportation of fugitive gangster Lakhvinder from the United States was a major success of the state's Special Task Force (STF) against organised crime.

Lakhvinder alias Lakha, a close aide of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was deported from the US on Saturday in an operation coordinated by the Central Bureau of Investigation, officials said.

He was brought to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, where he was arrested by the Haryana Police.

"Another coward, fugitive, and traitor dragged back from America by Haryana Police," Haryana DGP Singh wrote in a post in Hindi. "He was wanted in extortion and firing cases in many states." According to Haryana Police, Lakhvinder is a resident of Titram village in Kaithal district, Haryana. He is a close associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

After being deported, he was arrested by STF, Ambala after completion of all legal formalities.

Lakhvinder had been operating from the US since 2022 under the direction of gangster Anmol Bishnoi and was actively involved in around a dozen cases of extortion and shooting in Haryana and Punjab, the state police said.

They said that Lakhvinder has a significant criminal record in Haryana, which includes an FIR dated February 14, 2023, registered under Sections 384, 506 of the IPC (extortion, criminal intimidation) registered in Gohana (City) police station in Sonipat.

Another FIR with similar charges dated March 21, 2023, was registered at Police Station Meham, district Rohtak.

He also has FIRs related to extortion and other charges registered against him in other places in the state including Yamunanagar, Kaithal and Ambala.

A Look Out Circular (LOC) and Red Corner Notice (RCN) were issued against him in 2023 and 2024, respectively, by STF Haryana, they said.

After nearly a year of continuous coordination and legal follow-up with national and international agencies, his legal deportation from the US has been successfully executed, they said.

STF Haryana remains steadfast in its mission to dismantle organised crime networks and is actively pursuing further legal processes to identify and deport other wanted criminals operating from abroad, officials said. PTI CHS SKY SKY