Gurugram: In a rare display of international coordination, Haryana Police have achieved a breakthrough in their fight against organized crime — securing the deportation of a fugitive gangster from the United States and arresting another wanted man at Delhi’s IGI Airport. The operation signals a new era of transnational policing in India’s war against syndicates with global reach.
A New Front in the Fight Against Organized Crime
In a development described by officials as a “major success against organized crime,” Haryana Police have arrested two fugitives linked to multiple cases of extortion, criminal intimidation, and attempted murder.
The arrests mark a significant leap in India’s cross-border law-enforcement efforts. The first, Lakhwinder Singh, known by his alias Lakha, was deported from the United States after months of coordination between Indian and American authorities. The second, Sunil Sardhania, a 39-year-old criminal wanted in connection with a shooting involving singer-rapper Rahul Fazilpuria, was taken into custody at IGI International Airport upon his arrival from Costa Rica.
Transnational Cooperation and the Bishnoi Network
Authorities confirmed that Lakhwinder Singh was a key operative of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, one of North India’s most notorious organized-crime networks. Operating from the United States since 2022, Singh allegedly handled extortion and intimidation rackets under the direction of Anmol Bishnoi, Lawrence’s brother.
His arrest represents the first successful deportation from the United States in connection with the Bishnoi network — a milestone that Haryana Police’s Director-General O.P. Singh credited to “international collaboration through the Special Task Force’s dedicated pursuit of fugitives abroad.”
Investigators believe the Bishnoi gang has increasingly outsourced its operations to members living overseas, using encrypted messaging platforms and proxy accounts to direct extortion and targeted attacks within India.
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The Capture at IGI Airport
The second arrest, made at Indira Gandhi International Airport, involved Sunil Sardhania, wanted for multiple violent crimes in Haryana and Punjab. Police sources said Sardhania had evaded capture for months before being tracked to Central America.
He was intercepted by the Gurugram police team on October 26, shortly after arriving from Costa Rica. Sardhania is accused of orchestrating the July 14 shooting on Fazilpuria’s car along Gurugram’s Southern Peripheral Road and is also under investigation in the murder of financier Rohit Shokeen.
Authorities described the arrest as “part of a sustained crackdown” on organized extortion syndicates that blend local muscle with global logistics.
A Broader Message to India’s Criminal Diaspora
Both arrests — spanning three continents — underscore the expanding reach of Indian law enforcement in pursuing fugitives abroad. The Special Task Force (STF) has increasingly coordinated with agencies like the CBI, Interpol, and foreign counterparts in the U.S., Canada, and the Gulf to track members of the Bishnoi, Bambiha, and Kaushal gangs operating from exile.
Senior police officials said these operations carry a message beyond arrests:
that fugitives who once believed they could escape Indian law by crossing borders may no longer find safe havens abroad.
As one officer put it, “This isn’t just about two gangsters. It’s about reclaiming deterrence.”
