Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 3
The anti-terror federal probe agency NIA today said it filed its sixth supplementary charge sheet in the case relating to seizure of 500 kgs of heroin, which was being smuggled from Pakistan into India through Salaya Port in Gujarat.
The NIA in an official statement said that the charge sheet against four accused was filed in a Special Court in Ahmedabad under various sections of the IPC, NDPS Act, and UA(P) Act. “A total of 24 persons have been arrested so far in the case and a hunt is on for the remaining nine accused, who are currently absconding,” it said.
The absconders include wanted Italy-based one of India’s most wanted drug smuggler-trafficker Simranjeet Singh Sandhu, Pakistan-based wanted accused Hajisaab alias Bhaijaan, Nabi Baksh and Australia based Tanvir Singh Bedi, the NIA said, adding that the agency has managed to trace the linkages of the arrested accused to these wanted criminals.
“The case had exposed a huge criminal conspiracy to smuggle illicit drugs into India from Pakistan via the sea route. The consignment was being further smuggled to Punjab through Delhi, where it was brought from Gujarat after landing at the Port there,” the NIA said, adding that the accused were involved in smuggling, transportation, storage, purification and distribution of illicit drugs.
“The four accused, who were charge-sheeted today include Harminder Singh alias Romi Randhawa, Manjit Singh alias Manna, Kuldeep Singh and Malkit Singh. All of them are residents of Punjab,” the NIA said, adding that its probe revealed that they had played a pivotal role in transporting, purifying and distribution of the drug in various places across Punjab.
They also used the drug proceeds to carry out activities relating to terror and crime and they had acted on the directions of the absconding accused, the NIA alleged.
The NIA in its investigation found that Harminder Singh and Manjit Singh had taken warehouses/ residential houses on rent in Ludhiana for storage of the smuggled drugs/heroin at the behest of Australia-based wanted accused Tanvir Singh Bedi.
“Kuldeep Singh, alongwith accused Malkit Singh, had aided another accused, Sukhbir Singh alias Happy, in piloting/escorting heroin/drug purification chemical laden vehicles multiple times from New Delhi/ Karnal/Kurukshetra to Ludhiana and Amritsar to avoid raising suspicion and police checks, as the Bolero vehicle (on which Kuldeep was employed as a driver by the Gurudwara) was registered in the name of a Gurudwara in Fatehgarh Sahib district (Punjab),” the NIA revealed.
The case was originally registered by ATS Gujarat on August 12, 2018, following the seizure of heroin from one of the accused, Aziz Abdul Bhagad, who had pilfered 5 kg of the heroin from a 100 kg heroin consignment smuggled into India from Pakistan. He had concealed this 5 kg heroin in a pit near his village in Gujarat, leading to his eventual arrest. Considering the national security ramifications of international linkages, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had transferred the case to the NIA on June 29, 2020.
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#Gujarat
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