GUJRAT: The Punjab Police Crime Control Department (CCD) has successfully extradited seven wanted criminals from Dubai, bringing them back to face justice in Pakistan. All suspects were required in separate murder cases across the province and were traced and detained through coordinated operations with the UAE police via Interpol.
A spokesperson for the Gujranwala CCD said the operation was carried out on the directives of Punjab CCD chief Sohail Zafar Chatha. A special operations team, led by Inspector Khalid Nawaz Varya, travelled to Dubai after Interpol issued red notices for the suspects. UAE authorities arrested the fugitives and handed them over to Pakistani officials following legal procedures.
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Among the extradited suspects is Ghazanfar Iqbal of Iqbalnagar, Kot Momin Tehsil in Sargodha, who had fled Pakistan in 1995 after allegedly murdering a local resident. Police said he had evaded arrest for nearly three decades before finally being located and detained abroad.
Another suspect, Zubair Khan from Judicial Colony, Rawalpindi, was also brought back to Pakistan to face charges in a pending murder case. Officials stated that he had been hiding in Dubai for years to avoid arrest but was eventually tracked down through Interpol coordination.
Similarly, the CCD arrested Umar Farooq from Khubeki, Gujranwala, who had allegedly shot dead his brother during a property dispute. He escaped the country immediately after the crime but was later apprehended and returned under the latest operation.
Three other fugitives — Eman Waris Butt of Chak Qazi, Sialkot; Naimatullah of Jampur, Rajanpur; and Zulfiqar Ali of Dunyapur — were also extradited. Each had been wanted in separate murder cases in their respective districts and had sought refuge abroad to evade prosecution.
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Officials noted that a few months ago, the Punjab Police had assigned the task of tracking and extraditing overseas fugitives to the Gujranwala CCD zone. The recent operation marks one of the most significant achievements under that mandate, strengthening cross-border cooperation in criminal justice.