One of them smuggled drugs on behalf of India, sold it to domestic traffickers and sent the proceeds to the gangster in Afghanistan.
One of them smuggled drugs on behalf of India, sold it to domestic traffickers and sent the proceeds to the gangster in Afghanistan.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two key accused in the 3,000 kg heroin seizure case. One of them smuggled drugs into Indian territory, sold goods to domestic smugglers, and sent the proceeds to a gangster in Afghanistan.
They have been identified as Harpreet Singh Talwar alias Kabir Talwar and his accomplice Prince Sharma, residents of Delhi. The arrests were made after searches at 20 places in Delhi (14), Gujarat (2), Punjab (1) and West Bengal (3) on Wednesday.
“Smuggling by Sea”
As alleged, Talwar handled the operations on the Indian side. Both the accused were involved in smuggling heroin from Afghanistan through sea route.
The NIA alleged that the two were part of a syndicate that smuggled heroin in huge quantities from Afghanistan on the pretext of importing semi-processed talc stones, bituminous coal and other items.
The drugs will be delivered to Afghan nationals based in Delhi involved in the purification and distribution of heroin in different parts of the country, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.
The heroin consignment at the Mundra port in Gujarat was seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in September 2021, following which it arrested six Afghans, one Uzbek and three Indian nationals. As it turned out, the contraband was packaged in Afghanistan, declared as semi-processed talcum stones, and shipped by road to Bandar Abbas port in Iran by Kandahar-based Hassan Hussein Ltd.
After this the consignment was sent to Mundra Port on the pretext of export to Aashi Trading Company in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
The NIA took up the matter on October 2021. Based on the findings, the agency filed a charge sheet against the 16 accused in March. Various provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act were enacted.
Among those arrested by the NIA were Machavaram Sudhakar and his wife Durga Poorna Govindaraju Vaishali, who ran the Vijayawada company and lived in Chennai; Prince Perumal, a resident of Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu); Pradeep Kumar from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh; and Afghan nationals named Saeed Mohammad Hussaini, Fardeen Ameri, Shobhan Aryanfar, Alokozai Mohammad Khan and Murtaza Hakimi.
Identification of alleged absconding criminals
The alleged fugitives were identified as Afghan nationals, Mohammad Hussein Ded and Mohammad Hassan – who ran the Kandahar-based company, – Najibullah Khan Khalid, Esmat Ullah Honari and Abdul Hadi Alizada, and Iranian national Jawad Najafi.
During investigation, the NIA found that the syndicate had smuggled drugs in the past as well. They were involved in a case registered by the DRI over the seizure of 16.10 kg heroin from a godown in Delhi and 20.25 kg heroin in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur a year ago.
According to the agency, the dad brothers conspired with M. Sudhakar, DP Vaishali and Rajkumar Perumal of Ashi Trading Company and others to smuggle heroin into India.
“Links of accused Mohammad Hasan Hussain Dad and Mohammad Hassan Dad and other co-conspirators with banned terrorist organizations based in Pakistan have also come to the fore. The proceeds were repatriated to foreign entities through hawala channels at the behest of Pakistan-based terror outfits for use in anti-India activities,” the agency had alleged.
Earlier, the NIA had conducted searches at several places in Delhi, Chennai, Coimbatore and Vijayawada.
The proceeds were repatriated to foreign entities through ‘hawala’ channels at the behest of Pakistan-based terror outfits for use in anti-India activities.NIA