The Punjab Police, in coordination with central agencies, on Thursday arrested fugitive Bhuvnesh Chopra alias Ashish after getting him deported from a Central Asian country, where he had fled to evade law in connection with multiple heinous crimes, including a triple murder and several narcotics trafficking cases.DGP Gaurav Yadav said a Red Corner Notice and a Look-Out Circular had been issued to track and restrict the international movements of the accused. Sustained international coordination eventually traced his location to the Central Asian country, following which he was deported and arrested upon arrival at IGI Airport in New Delhi.A key role in the operation was played by the newly-constituted Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC), set up under the Internal Security wing on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.Bhuvnesh Chopra, a resident of Ferozepur, was wanted in connection with at least nine FIRs registered in Ferozepur, Fazilka and Patiala districts. The DGP said Chopra was a major facilitator of narcotics smuggling from Pakistan into Punjab and had managed to escape abroad to evade arrest.Beyond drug trafficking, Chopra has also been named as the prime conspirator behind a triple murder in Ferozepur in August 2024, in which a young girl and two others were killed following a rivalry between Chopra and one of the victims, Dildeep Singh.DGP Yadav said Chopra’s arrest is expected to significantly disrupt the logistics network of drug consignments entering Ferozepur and neighbouring border districts, dealing a major blow to cross-border narcotics trafficking operations.