New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday described the return of alleged narco-trafficker Navpreet Singh from Türkiye as a “historic milestone”, saying Indian agencies had tracked him down and secured his deportation.
HM Shah said in a post on X that Singh had obtained Turkish citizenship using the alleged fake identity of Navab Virk and was accused of smuggling heroin and methamphetamine from Afghanistan to India.
“Modi govt has achieved a historic milestone by securing the deportation of hardened narco-trafficking kingpin Navpreet Singh from Türkiye,” Shah said.
“Obtaining Turkish citizenship under the fake identity of Navab Virk, he had continued to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine to India from Afghanistan. Our agencies tracked him down, ripping apart veil after veil to unmask his true identity, and secured his deportation. Today he has been brought back to India and put behind bars in connection with cases involving drug trafficking and other crimes he is accused of. Congratulations to all the agencies for this success,” he said.
HM Shah also reiterated the government’s stated commitment to tackling drug trafficking.
“Modi govt is committed to destroying every narco-cartel before Dec 2029,” he added.
According to Delhi Police, Navpreet Singh alias Nav has been identified as an alleged overseas-based drug kingpin linked to a transnational narcotics network. Investigators have said his alleged associate Prabhdeep Singh, who was extradited from Azerbaijan in May in connection with a case involving the seizure of 358 kg of heroin, had managed operations in India for the network.
The development comes after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) secured the return of alleged drug trafficker Mohammad Salim Dola from Türkiye in April. The Ministry of Home Affairs said Dola was wanted in multiple narcotics cases and was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice issued at India’s request.
In May, the Delhi Police Special Cell, in coordination with the Central Bureau of Investigation, brought Prabhdeep Singh back from Baku after completing extradition formalities. Police said the case involved the seizure of 358 kg of heroin and that Prabhdeep had been absconding since 2023.
The successive operations form part of Indian agencies’ efforts to trace and bring back alleged narcotics fugitives operating from abroad.
[DD News]