Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has urged the Centre to take up with Canada the issue of extradition of 10 NRIs — declared proclaimed offenders in drugs-related cases in Punjab, and "taken refuge" in Canada.

Capt Amarinder, in separate letters to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, said that the extradition process in the cases had been pending for up to four years, scuttling the State Government’s efforts to bring the accused to justice. 

The Congress Government in Punjab has scaled up its efforts for their extradition from Canada, but the efforts have been obstructed as the cases remain pending at various levels, he said.

According to an official spokesperson, the State Government had decided to aggressively pursue the extradition of these suspects as their custodial interrogation was vital to establish the entire chain of the drug cartel in Punjab and to expose those allegedly patronising the trade.

listing out details of these cases, Punjab Chief Minister said Sarabjit Singh Sandhar, alias Nik, a resident of Balioun village in Samrala, now living in Vancouver, had been declared a proclaimed offender on October 19, 2013.

"His extradition request had been sent to Canadian authorities and thereafter prepared afresh as per guidelines shared by them. The revised request was sent to the Home Ministry, which forwarded it to the External Affairs Ministry on on July 20, 2017," he pointed.

The same is the status in another case, involving Ranjit Singh Aujla, a resident of Muthada Kalan village in Jalandhar district, in which the extradition request is pending since July 25, 2017. He was declared a proclaimed offender in August 2013.

In case of Nirankar Singh Dhillon of Apra Mandi village in Jalandhar, who was declared a proclaimed offender in October 2013, and is currently reported to be living in lietkencher Circle Brampton, Canada, the extradition request is pending since September 19, 2017, Amarinder said, citing police data.

The extradition request for Gursewak Singh Dhillon, who was declared a proclaimed offender in April 2014, was sent to the External Affairs Ministry by the Home Ministry on July 20, 2017, but there has been no movement since then.

The Chief Minister, in his letter, cited similar case of Amarjit Singh Kooner who was declared PO on August 31, 2013. Resident of Mehmadpur village in Jalandhar district, Kooner is living in Vancouver. Another lamer Singh Daleh of Mehsampur village in Jalandhar district continues to live in British Columbia, as their extradition pleas continue to hang fire.

Other similar pending extradition cases relate to Pardeep Singh Dhaliwal of leela Megh Singh village in Jagraon, Amarinder Singh Chheena alias laddi of Jhanjoti village in Amritsar district, and Parminder Singh Deo alias Pindi Uncle of Kharoudi Village in Hoshiarpur village.

The last request relates to Ranjit Kaur Kahlon alias Ruby Kahlon of Jhandu Singha village in Jalandhar district, now residing in Zirakpur’s Shivalik Vihar, in whose name her husband purchased various properties in Jalandhar and Zirakpur with proceeds of drug money, and against whom also an extradition plea is pending.