Punjab on Friday announced cash rewards for 28 proclaimed offender ‘gangsters’ — ishtehari mujrim — who run extortion rackets, order killings and smuggle arms and drugs into the state from hideouts spread across three continents. Most of them have not set foot in India for years.The rewards, announced under the “Gangster-Free Punjab” campaign, range from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh each.The government issued full page advertisements with their names and photos in newspapers on Friday.Together, their criminal records span hundreds of FIRs across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Delhi, with their operations directed remotely from the US, Canada, UK, UAE, Europe, Brazil and Pakistan.The Rs 10-lakh tierAt the top of the list sits Lakhbir Singh, alias Landa, from Harike in Tarn Taran district. Born in 1989, he fled to Canada in 2017 and is currently based in Edmonton, Alberta. The Ministry of Home Affairs has designated him a terrorist under UAPA. A key figure in Babbar Khalsa International, he is the alleged mastermind of the 2022 RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) attack on Punjab Police’s Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali, and is the fulcrum of a narco-terror network run from Canada with the help of Pakistan’s ISI. He faces 33 criminal cases. Punjab Police have arrested 71 of his associates.Alongside Landa on the top-reward list is Harwinder Singh Sandhu, alias Rinda, from Tarn Taran, who moved to Maharashtra at age 11 and committed his first murder at 18 over a family dispute. He became a Category A-plus gangster linked to Babbar Khalsa International and operated from Pakistan under ISI protection. He was the alleged mastermind of the 2022 RPG attack on the Mohali police intelligence headquarters and the bridge between terrorists, gangsters and narcotics smugglers across Punjab. He was reported dead of a drug overdose at a military hospital in Lahore in November 2022, though questions about his fate persisted and his designation as a terrorist under UAPA continued.Gaurav Putyal, alias Lucky Patial, son of a Chandigarh resident, is the foreign-based kingpin of the Davinder Bambiha gang. After Bambiha was shot dead in 2016, Lucky assumed leadership of the outfit. With over 24 FIRs against him, he has been linked to the murders of Gurlal Brar (brother of Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar), Vicky Middukhera, Sandeep Nangal Ambiya and a businessman in Kharar, as well as the 2018 firing on Punjabi singer Parmish Verma. He is suspected to be hiding in the US.Balwinder Singh Doni, alias Doni Bal, from Pati Balel village in Amritsar Rural, is one of the main handlers of the Gopi Ghanshampuria gang and also aligned with the Bambiha faction. Over 32 FIRs are registered against him. He has claimed responsibility for the murders of an AAP sarpanch in Amritsar and a kabaddi promoter in Mohali, and is suspected to be hiding in the United Kingdom.Prabhdeep Singh, alias Prabh Dasuwal, from Dasuwal village in Tarn Taran, is an associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang with more than five criminal cases against him involving murder, extortion and illegal arms possession. He is suspected to be hiding in Brazil — making him one of the most geographically distant of Punjab’s wanted fugitives.The remaining Rs 10 lakh names — Sutinderjit Singh, Satbir Singh and two others — are Category A gangsters wanted in multiple cases of murder, extortion and arms smuggling across Punjab.The Rs 5-lakh tierRohit Godara, alias Rawataram Swami, from Bikaner, Rajasthan, is a close aide of Canada-based Goldy Brar and one of the most active overseas handlers of the Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate. He is an accused in the murders of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in 2022 and Karni Sena president Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi in 2023. He has claimed responsibility for bomb blasts outside clubs in Chandigarh and Gurugram, threatened singer AP Dhillon in Canada and directed extortion operations across NCR, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab from an undisclosed location in Europe.Harry Boxer Harichand, alias Hari Boxer, from Alwar, Rajasthan, is a Lawrence Bishnoi gang operative whose nickname came from a brief stint as a boxer before he turned to crime. He illegally entered the United States in 2024 through the “donkey route” and is wanted in connection with the murders of businessman Sanjay Verma in Abohar and laboratory technician Ashutosh Mahajan in Amritsar. In February 2026, he allegedly threatened Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh, demanding Rs 20-crore extortion in a voice note sent from an American phone number. He was subsequently detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in California, though his extradition is pending.Aditya Kapoor, alias Makhan, from Lahori Gate, Amritsar, is a ground-level operative of the Doni Bal network with 12 criminal cases against him. He was arrested by Counter Intelligence, Amritsar, in November 2024 with a Glock 9mm pistol and other arms, and was found to be working on instructions from Doni Bal and Portugal-based gangster Mannu Ghanshampuria. His reappearance on the wanted list suggests he is wanted in fresh cases.The remaining 16 names — including Sarwan Singh, Gurwinder Singh, Amarjit Singh, Manpreet Singh, Rajesh Kumar alias Sonu Khatri (a Bishnoi gang associate from SBS Nagar), Mohammad Yaseen Akhtar, Kishar Singh Joortna and others — are operatives of various Punjab gang networks wanted in cases of murder, extortion and arms smuggling across the state.The larger picturePunjab’s gangster problem is no longer a local law and order issue. These ishtehari mujrim are operating from the US — which harbours the largest number of fugitives — the UAE, Canada, Germany, the UK, Europe, Australia, Portugal, Thailand, Brazil and Pakistan. They direct killings, collect extortion and smuggle weapons into Punjab using encrypted communication, hawala channels and local foot soldiers, often juveniles recruited through social media.Punjab Police’s Operation Prahar, under which this reward list has been published, has created a dedicated Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell headed by a DIG-rank officer to coordinate with foreign agencies. Red Corner Notices have already been obtained from Interpol against 23 of the identified gangsters, with the process for the remaining being completed in a time-bound manner.The Rs 93946-93946 helpline is open to all callers. The government has assured that the identity of informers will be kept completely confidential.