Navpreet Singh deported from Türkiye to India, Home Minister announces

3 October 2026

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on 3 October 2026 that Navpreet Singh was deported from Türkiye and brought back to India.
In his post on X, Mr Shah described him as a hardened narco-trafficking kingpin and said he had obtained Turkish citizenship under the fake identity 'Navab Virk' and continued to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine into India from Afghanistan.
Mr Shah said he had been brought back to India and put behind bars in connection with cases involving drug trafficking and other crimes.
The PIB release states that 288 fugitives from 36 countries were brought back to India between 2019 and August 2026.
It also notes that BHARATPOL, launched in January 2025, connects more than 1,400 units of State and Central agencies.