Amritpal Singh Mehron, the prime suspect in the brutal murder of social media influencer Kanchan Kumari, has been arrested following his deportation, bringing a crucial development to the high-profile case.
Amritpal Singh Mehron, the key accused in the murder case of social-media influencer Kanchan Kumari, was arrested by the Punjab Police on Friday, after he was deported to India from the Middle East, a top officer said.
Police did not disclose the name of the country that had deported Mehron.
After being arrested at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the early hours of Friday, Mehron was brought to Bathinda by a Punjab Police team.
In Bathinda, he was produced before a court that sent him to police custody for five days.
"We had sought seven days' remand, but the court gave five days' remand," a police official told reporters in Bathinda.
Earlier, police had said Mehron, 30, a Moga resident and a self-styled radical Sikh leader, fled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the killing of Kumari in June 2025. Police in Bathinda had issued a lookout circular for him.
The 30-year-old influencer, known on Instagram as "Kamal Kaur Bhabhi", was found dead in an abandoned car at a parking lot in Bathinda.
Earlier, three accused were arrested in connection with the killing. Of the three, Jaspreet Singh of Moga and Nimratjit Singh of Tarn Taran had said they had killed Kumari for uploading "immoral and vulgar content that hurt the (Sikh) community's sentiments".
In a post on X, Punjab's Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said Mehron was deported to India and arrested at the IGI Airport in the early hours of Friday.
"In a major breakthrough, @BathindaPolice, with the support of #OFTEC (Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell) under the Counter Intelligence Wing of Punjab Police, and central agencies apprehends fugitive Amritpal Singh Mehron -- the main accused in the sensational murder of social media influencer Kanchan Kumari alias Kamal Bhabhi in June 2025 at Bathinda -- following his deportation from the Middle East," the DGP said.
"On 11.06.2025, the accused, along with three associates, abducted and murdered the victim and abandoned her body in a car parked at Adesh Hospital, #Bathinda. His accomplices have already been arrested in the case," he added.
Yadav further said that Mehron had fled the country after committing the crime to evade legal proceedings.
"Punjab Police, in close coordination with central agencies, traced his location to the Middle East and initiated extradition proceedings. He was subsequently detained and deported to #India, where he was arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport, #Delhi, in the early hours of April 10, 2026.
"@PunjabPoliceInd reiterates its zero-tolerance policy against organised crime and anti-national elements, and remains steadfast in ensuring a safe and secure #Punjab," the DGP said.
In a video that surfaced on social media after Kumari's killing, Mehron was purportedly seen saying that the influencer was killed by two of his accomplices due to her "immoral and vulgar content" on social media. He had also warned others creating "objectionable content" to refrain from such activities.
Mehron was also accused of issuing threats to at least two other Punjab-based women social media influencers, police had said earlier.