Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 23: In a major breakthrough in the fight against organised crime, fugitive Sunil Kumar, a key operative of the notorious Aman Sahu gang, was successfully brought back to India from Azerbaijan on Friday, following a coordinated operation led by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Jharkhand Police.
Wanted in multiple extortion cases, Kumar — who also went by the alias Mayank Singh — was the subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice issued on October 10, 2024, based on a request from Jharkhand Police. He had been accused of sending threats via WhatsApp to coal transporters, railway contractors, and businesspeople, demanding protection money.
Acting on specific intelligence, a three-member team of Jharkhand Police travelled to Baku, Azerbaijan, on August 19 to secure custody of Kumar. The accused landed with the team at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, on August 23.
Kumar was originally named in FIR No. 175/2022 filed at Patratu, Bhadaninagar Police Station, Jharkhand, and has additional criminal cases registered in other states. He is believed to be a close associate of gangster Aman Sahu, whose criminal syndicate has long been involved in extortion and intimidation in Jharkhand and surrounding regions.
The CBI, acting as India’s National Central Bureau (NCB) for INTERPOL, tracked Kumar to Azerbaijan with support from NCB-Baku, and an extradition request was formally submitted to Azerbaijani authorities in January 2025 through diplomatic channels.
In a statement, the agency said, “CBI, as the National Central Bureau for INTERPOL in India, coordinates with all Law Enforcement Agencies through BHARATPOL and has facilitated the return of over 100 fugitives in recent years.”
The International Police Cooperation Unit (IPCU) of CBI played a key role in securing Kumar’s repatriation, marking a major win for law enforcement efforts to dismantle the Aman Sahu gang's extortion operations.
Kumar will now face legal proceedings in India for his alleged involvement in a series of criminal activities tied to one of eastern India’s most active organised crime networks.