Anmol Bishnoi, one of the key accused in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, has been deported from the United States, making him the second high-profile Punjab gangster to be sent back in recent months. His return comes amid a broader international effort led by Punjab Police, working with Central agencies, to secure the repatriation of nearly a hundred gangsters and drug traffickers who fled abroad after facing serious charges in the state.
Anmol, the younger brother of Lawrence Bishnoi, is considered an important operative in the gang’s network. Lawrence, one of India’s most feared gangsters, was declared a terrorist entity by the Canadian government earlier this year. Before Anmol’s deportation, Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia was flown back from the US. Punjab Police officials described the two deportations as significant breakthroughs, although about twenty more criminals, including gangsters and narcotics traffickers, are still believed to be hiding in America.
Officials said these deportations were part of a sustained crackdown based on detailed dossiers and case files prepared by specialised police units. A senior Punjab Police officer said that the profiles of around a hundred wanted criminals had been shared with foreign governments over the last year through Central agencies. The files, updated regularly, were compiled by the Counter-Intelligence Wing, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force and the Anti-Gangster Task Force.
Nearly twenty of these wanted men had managed to escape to the US, prompting Punjab Police to seek their return through diplomatic channels. The process gathered pace after US President Donald Trump stated earlier this year that his administration would not permit the country to become a refuge for criminals.
Happy Passia, who was deported earlier, is a gangster-turned-terror operative from Amritsar with links to Pakistan-backed Babbar Khalsa International and ISI handler Harvinder Rinda. He is accused of planning a series of grenade attacks across Punjab in 2024 and 2025, targeting police stations, places of worship and political figures to spread fear.