Narco kingpin Navpreet Singh deported from Turkey, brought back to Indiaਨਾਰਕੋ ਸਰਗਨਾ ਨਵਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਤੁਰਕੀ ਤੋਂ ਡਿਪੋਰਟ, ਭਾਰਤ ਵਾਪਸ ਲਿਆਂਦਾ

India has secured the deportation of alleged narco-trafficking kingpin Navpreet Singh from Türkiye and brought him back to face cases of drug trafficking and other crimes, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Saturday.

Singh, better known as Nav Bhullar, is wanted by Punjab Police's State Special Operation Cell in Amritsar in connection with the seizure of 105 kg of heroin from the Baba Bakala area. His name has also surfaced in a 2021 Delhi narcotics case in which investigators recovered around 355.5 kg of heroin.

Agencies unmask a fake identity

In a post on X, Shah said Singh had obtained Turkish citizenship under the fake identity of “Navab Virk” and continued to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine into India from Afghanistan. “Our agencies tracked him down, ripping apart veil after veil to unmask his true identity, and secured his deportation. Today he has been brought back to India and put behind bars in connection with cases involving drug trafficking and other crimes he is accused of,” the Home Minister wrote.

India and Türkiye signed an extradition treaty in 2001, which came into force in June 2002, providing the legal framework for the transfer. Indian agencies had reportedly been working with Türkiye on the extradition since at least May, when the Indian Express reported that New Delhi was pressing for Singh's return.

A “historic milestone”

Shah congratulated all the agencies involved in the operation and described the deportation as a “historic milestone” for the Narendra Modi-led government. He reiterated the government's commitment to destroying every narco-cartel before December 2029. Following his arrival in India, Singh was sent to 10-day police custody, according to reports.

The deportation follows a string of recent fugitive returns — suspected drug trafficker Mohammad Salim Dola was brought back from Turkey in April, and fugitive Prabhdeep Singh was extradited from Azerbaijan in May in a case involving 358 kg of heroin.

The Punjab connection

Punjab Police had arrested two alleged associates of the Türkiye-based smuggler in October 2024, seizing 105 kg of heroin along with weapons in Amritsar. Investigators said the operation exposed links to a larger cross-border drug-smuggling network.

It is the second high-profile deportation of the month. Earlier this week, the NIA arrested a Babbar Khalsa International operative deported from the UAE over the killing of a Punjab VHP leader in 2024.

Who is Navpreet Singh, and why was he deported to India?

Navpreet Singh, better known as Nav Bhullar, is an alleged narco-trafficking kingpin wanted by Punjab Police's State Special Operation Cell in Amritsar over the seizure of 105 kg of heroin from the Baba Bakala area. His name also surfaced in a 2021 Delhi narcotics case in which investigators recovered around 355.5 kg of heroin. India secured his deportation from Türkiye, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah said he had been living under a false identity, and he was brought back to face drug-trafficking cases. After landing in India he was sent to 10-day police custody.

How did Navpreet Singh hide his identity in Türkiye?

According to the Home Minister, Singh obtained Turkish citizenship under the fake identity of “Navab Virk” while continuing to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine into India from Afghanistan. Indian agencies tracked him down — “ripping apart veil after veil to unmask his true identity,” as Shah put it — and secured his deportation. The legal framework was an India–Türkiye extradition treaty signed in 2001 that came into force in June 2002, and Indian agencies had reportedly been pressing Türkiye for his return since at least May.

Why is this deportation being called a historic milestone?

Shah described it as a “historic milestone” for the Narendra Modi-led government and reiterated its commitment to destroy every narco-cartel before December 2029. It follows a string of recent fugitive returns — suspected drug trafficker Mohammad Salim Dola was brought back from Turkey in April, and fugitive Prabhdeep Singh was extradited from Azerbaijan in May in a case involving 358 kg of heroin.