NIA Files Charges Against 8 More in 2020 Pakistan-India Narco-Terror Network Financing LeT

New Delhi:

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed charges against eight additional individuals in the 2020 transnational narco-terror network case on Tuesday. The case involves drug smuggling from Pakistan into Gujarat via maritime routes, with the aim of financing the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

According to the NIA statement, the eighth supplementary chargesheet in the Salaya (Gujarat) drugs case has definitively established a narco-terror conspiracy orchestrated by Simranjit Singh Sandhu based in Italy, Tanveer Bedi from Australia, and India-based Ankush Kapoor.

The chargesheet, submitted to the NIA special court in Ahmedabad, is supported by extensive digital, technical, and documentary evidence.

In addition to Singh, Bedi, and Kapoor, the chargesheet names Pakistani national Tariq alias Bhaijaan, Gagandeep Singh Arora, Tamanna Gupta, Sukhbir Singh alias Happy, and Anwar Masih.

The case concerns the smuggling of 500 kg of heroin from Pakistan into Gujarat, with subsequent transportation to Punjab. Proceeds from drug sales were utilized to fund LeT activities.

NIA investigations revealed that the narco-terror conspiracy extended across multiple Indian states including Gujarat, Delhi, Punjab, and Chandigarh, as well as several countries such as Italy, Australia, the UAE, Pakistan, Iran, and Thailand.

According to investigators, Kapoor played a key role in India, managing the on-ground operations of the narco-terror syndicate in Punjab. He coordinated logistics, storage, and local distribution of contraband while facilitating funding for accused individuals both domestically and internationally.

Singh was also responsible for organizing transportation, storage, and processing of illegal drugs and terror funding.

Investigations further uncovered that Tariq played a pivotal role in coordinating heroin smuggling into India, overseeing its transportation, facilitating distribution in Punjab, and channeling the proceeds to finance LeT operatives.

Bedi was actively involved in both smuggling and transferring drug sale proceeds through international hawala channels to fund LeT's terror activities in India.

Tamanna, Sukhbir Singh, and Masih have been charged for their deliberate involvement in the terror funding conspiracy.

Hawala operator Gagandeep Singh Arora, currently at large, has also been charged for facilitating money laundering and illegal fund transfers to terror operatives.

To date, 26 accused individuals have been arrested in the case, while eight remain missing.

The NIA continues its investigation to track the missing suspects and dismantle the syndicate as part of its efforts to eliminate the connection between narcotics trafficking and terrorism.