Bhuvanesh Chopra alias Ashish Chopra, the main accused in the September 2024 Ferozepur triple murder case, died in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur Central Jail on the night of October 26 after his health deteriorated, officials said. He was rushed to the Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.His family has raised suspicions over the circumstances of his death, citing his transfers between multiple jails in Punjab within a short period, and has demanded a post-mortem examination at PGI Chandigarh under judicial supervision.Chopra, a resident of Ferozepur City, was shifted from Sangrur Central Jail to Hoshiarpur Central Jail on October 23, just three days before his death.His family claimed that he had been moved between two other jails in the preceding week, including a transfer from Kapurthala to Sangrur, before being brought to Hoshiarpur.

A cousin alleged that the family was suddenly asked to reach the hospital after being informed that Chopra was unwell. “We were suddenly informed to come to the hospital as Ashish was unwell – he was already dead, and he was absolutely fine,” the relative alleged.Another family member, Amarjit, pointed to a social media post by gangster Arsh Dalla, who had allegedly claimed that revenge had been taken. The family has demanded that the post-mortem be conducted by a board of doctors at PGI Chandigarh, with videography and under judicial supervision, to establish the cause of death and address their concerns.POLICE INVESTIGATING MATTERHoshiarpur Central Jail Superintendent Harcharan Singh Gill said Chopra had been referred to the hospital by the jail medical officer on Wednesday morning.He was declared dead at the hospital, Gill said, adding that the matter was under investigation and further details would emerge after the post-mortem examination.AAP general secretary Baltej Pannu, speaking in Chandigarh, said the cause of death could be established only after the post-mortem examination.

He declined to comment further until the findings were available.FIRST CASE REGISTERED AT AGE 20Born on December 20, 1997, Chopra had his first criminal case registered against him on December 16, 2017, at the Ferozepur City police station under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code, pertaining to attempt to murder.Over the next nine years, 16 cases were registered against him in Ferozepur, Mohali, Fazilka, Patiala and Amritsar.The charges included attempted murder, drug trafficking, possession of illegal weapons and robbery.One of the latest cases against him was registered on May 12, 2026, at Ghall Khurd police station following the recovery of approximately 1.5 kg of heroin.Chopra came into the spotlight after the broad-daylight killing of two men and a woman in Ferozepur on September 3, 2024. The victims were identified as Jaspreet Kaur, Dildeep Singh and Akashdeep, and Chopra was named the prime accused.After remaining on the run for nearly 18 months, he was arrested by Punjab Police at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on March 12, 2026.Police had also linked him to an alleged cross-border heroin-smuggling network operating near the Hussainiwala border, involving the use of drones to transport narcotics from Pakistan.His death has brought renewed attention to the triple murder case and the circumstances surrounding his custody.The exact cause of death is yet to be established and is expected to emerge from the post-mortem report and the ongoing investigation.- EndsWith inputs by Akshay Galhotra