FEROZEPUR: Punjab police have arrested Bhuvnesh Chopra alias Ashish, a key accused wanted in the sensational triple murder case in Ferozepur and multiple narcotics trafficking cases, from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi following his deportation from a central Asian country on Thursday.According to Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav, a red corner notice (RCN) and a look-out circular (LoC) were issued. He said sustained international coordination eventually traced Bhuvnesh’s location to central Asia, following which he was deported and arrested upon arrival at the IGI Airport. Bhuvnesh was a major facilitator of narcotics smuggling from Pakistan into Punjab and earlier managed to escape abroad to evade the law. Beyond drug trafficking, Chopra was also the prime conspirator behind the August 2024 triple murder in Ferozepur, in which a young girl and 2 others lost their lives following a rivalry between him and one of the victims, Dildeep Singh.

Bhuvnesh was classified as a category A gangster, facing multiple FIRs, including under section 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for orchestrating the Ferozepur triple murder and the Ashu Monga killing, the NDPS Act for managing a cross-border narcotics network involving the smuggling of heroin from Pakistan into the Ferozepur-Abohar belt, and the Arms Act for supplying illegal weapons to local gangs in the Malwa region.“The arrest of Chopra forms part of a sustained crackdown by Punjab Police on foreign-based handlers and fugitives who orchestrate criminal activities from abroad,” the DGP said, adding that the newly constituted Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC) unit played a pivotal role in this operation.Chopra operated from Canada and was alleged to have facilitated the triple murder in Ferozepur by coordinating with local shooters. Indian authorities initiated efforts for his extradition to face trial.Chopra was previously arrested in 2020 for the murder of Inderjit Singh Sidhu (alias Dhinda) in Kharar. In that incident, he and an accomplice reportedly fired 18 bullets at the victim in broad daylight. Beyond individual acts of violence, law enforcement labelled him a “facilitator” for drug smuggling across the border from Pakistan into Punjab. He has multiple cases registered against him under the Arms Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Fazilka and Ferozepur.