In New Delhi on Tuesday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) announced that it had filed a fresh chargesheet against eight more people involved in a 2020 transnational narco‑terror case. The case centered on the smuggling of 500 kg of heroin from Pakistan into Gujarat and then to Punjab. The drugs were sold to raise money for the Lashkar‑e‑Taiba (LeT) terror group.
The NIA’s latest filing, under case number RC‑26/2020/NIA/DLI, uses the Narcotic Drugs and Paintings Act (NDPS) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAP) to charge the accused. Digital footprints, technical data and documents give a complete picture of the conspiracy.
Key figures named in the chargesheet include:
- Simranjit Singh Sandhu (Italy) – the mastermind behind the overall narco‑terror network.
- Tanveer Bedi (Australia) – helped smuggle the drugs and moved the proceeds through hawala channels.
- Ankush Kapoor (India) – ran on‑ground operations in Punjab, coordinating logistics, storage and local distribution.
- Tariq alias Bhaijaan (Pakistan) – orchestrated the sea route from Pakistan and channelled profits to LeT.
- Gagandeep Singh Arora – a hawala operator who absconds and is involved in money‑laundering for the network.
- Tamanna Gupta, Sukhbir Singh alias Happy, and Anwar Masih – charged with planning and executing the terror‑funding scheme.
The NIA said it has uncovered evidence that the conspiracy stretched across several Indian states—Gujarat, Delhi, Punjab and Chandigarh—while touching foreign links in Italy, Australia, the UAE, Pakistan, Iran and Thailand.
The Ahmedabad Special Court is set to hear the case. NIA notes that 26 suspects have already been arrested in the case, but eight remain absconding. The agency is actively pursuing those suspects and aims to dismantle the narcotics‑terrorism nexus once and for all.
This crackdown underscores India’s determination to stop drug money from financing terror activities, a priority that keeps the sting of the narco‑terror connection at the top of law‑enforcement agendas.
Source: ianslive
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