Attari border drug haul case: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday said that a key absconding accused has been arrested in connection with the Attari border heroin seizure case involving the smuggling of over 102 kgs of narcotics from Afghanistan via the India-Pak border in April 2022.
Amritpal Singh, a resident of Tarn Taran district in Punjab, was taken into custody by the NIA on Friday. He is the third person to be arrested in the case, the NIA said in a statement.
The investigations have revealed that Singh was the handler of cash and launderer of drug proceeds through banking and hawala channels.
What is the case?
The case pertains to the recovery and seizure of a total of 102.784 kgs of heroin, valued at approx. Rs. 700 crores. The seizures were made in two installments, on 24th and 26th April 2022, by the Indian Customs when the drugs arrived in the country from Afghanistan via ICP Attari, Amritsar. The drugs had been concealed in a consignment of Licorice roots (Mulethi).
Amritpal Singh detained while trying to flee to Dubai
Singh was detained by immigration officers on December 12, 2023, while trying to flee to Dubai from the Amritsar International Airport. The 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 NIA.
His 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 Amritpal Singh in the bank accounts of the other accused.
NIA investigations have revealed Singh to have been involved in the larger conspiracy hatched by a global drug cartel. As part of the drug network, he was the conduit for the circulation of drug money to various distributors in India as well as the main accused settled abroad. He used his travel agency and money transfer business to transfer the proceeds of drugs, as per the investigations.
NIA conducts searches at Amrtpal Singh's premises
Based on the disclosures of the associates of the accused, the NIA had, on October 22, 2023, conducted searches at Singh's residential and official premises, leading to the recovery of cash amounting to Rs 1,34,12,000, as proceeds of narcotics. "It was found that Singh had, at the behest of Dubai-based absconding accused Shahid Ahmed alias Qazi Abdul Wadood, transferred huge amounts generated as proceeds of drugs into his (Shahid’s) bank accounts and also to the latter’s India-based associate Razi Haider Zaidi and some others," it said.
On November 8, 2023, a day after the Competent Authority issued the freeze order, the NIA froze Amritpal’s seized cash amount as ‘illegally acquired property’ under Section 68F(1) of the NDPS Act, 1985.
The 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 co-accused Nazir Ahmed Qani, a resident of Mazar-e-Sharif, on the directions of Shahid Ahmed. The same was supposed to be delivered to the accused Razi Haider Zaidi in India, for distribution in various parts of the country for monetary gains.
NIA had, on December 16, 2022, filed a chargesheet against four accused, Shahid Ahmed alias Qazi Abdul Wadood, Nazir Ahmed Qani, Razi Haider Zaidi and Vipin Mittal, in the case. While 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 case.
