NIA arrests third accused in 2022 Attari border drug haul case

The National Investigation Agency NIA on Saturday said a key accused wanted in connection with the recovery of 102 kg heroin at the Attari border in April 2022 has been arrestedAmritpal Singh a resident of Tarn Taran district in Punjab was taken into custody by the NIA on Friday an agency spokesperson said in a statement He is the third person to be arrested in the caseThe probe so far indicated that Singh was the handler of cash and laundered drug proceeds through banking and hawala channelsThe Customs department had seized a total of 102784 kg heroin valued at an estimated Rs 700 crore in two instalments on April 24 and 26 2022 The drugs arrived in the country from Afghanistan via the Integrated Check Post at Attari in AmritsarThe drugs had been concealed in a consignment of Licorice roots MulethiSingh was detained by Immigration officers on December 12 2023 while trying to flee to Dubai from the Amritsar International AirportThe immigration officers detained him on the basis of the orders passed by the competent authority on December 7 2023 in view of the Look Out Circular LOC issued against by him by the NIASinghs role in the conspiracy relating to the international drug nexus came to light following the examination of associates of the various persons accused in the case and also from several incriminating transactions done by him in the bank accounts of the other accused the NIA saidThe NIA investigations show Singh to have been involved in the larger conspiracy hatched by a global drug cartelAs part of the drug network he was the conduit for circulation of drug money to various distributors in India as well as the main accused settled abroad the NIA said and added that Singh used his travel agency and money transfer business to transfer the proceeds of drugsBased on the disclosures of the associates of the accused the NIA had on October 22 2023 conducted searches at Singhs residential and official premises leading to the recovery of Rs 134 crore cash as proceeds of narcoticsIt was found that Singh at the behest of Dubaibased absconding accused Shahid Ahmed alias Qazi Abdul Wadood had transferred huge amounts generated as proceeds of drugs into his Shahid Ahmeds bank accounts and also to the latters Indiabased associate Razi Haider Zaidi and some othersOn November 8 2023 a day after the Competent Authority issued the freeze order the NIA froze Singhs seized cash amount as illegally acquired propertyThe NIA took over the case on the directions of the Ministry of Home Affairs MHA and its investigation has so far shown that the drug consignment in question was sent to India by Afghanistan based coaccused Nazir Ahmed Qani a resident of MazareSharif on the directions of Shahid AhmedThe same was supposed to be delivered to accused Razi Haider Zaidi in India for distribution in various parts of the country for monetary gainsThe NIA had on December 16 last year filed a charge sheet against four accused Shahid Ahmed alias Qazi Abdul Wadood Nazir Ahmed Qani Razi Haider Zaidi and Vipin Mittal in the caseWhile Mittal and Zaidi both residents of Delhi were arrested in August 2022 Shahid and Nazir who are based out of India have been declared absconding in the caseThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever