ORDER GIVES FILLIP TO NIA’S EFFORTS TO DISMANTLE NARCO-TERROR NETWORK OF DRUG SMUGGLERS & TERRORISTS
New Delhi, 31st Aug : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday got a big boost in its crackdown on the narco-terror network of international drugs smugglers and the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), with the Special Court at SAS Nagar, Mohali, ordering the attachment of the property of a key accused in a 2019 case of seizure of heroin and drug money.
The immovable property under attachment belongs to a chargesheeted accused Varinder Singh Chahal. The property, measuring 24 kanals, 14 marlas and 04 Sarsai, is located in village Devidaspura of district Amrtisar Rural (Punjab). It has been ordered to be attached under section 33 (1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.
The case (RC-03/2020/NIA/DLI) was registered by NIA on 22.01.2020 based on the original FIR dated 31st May 2019, when 500 grams of heroin and Rs. 1,20,000 as drug money was seized from an accused identified as Jagbir Singh Samra, along with two others, namely Varinder Chahal and Harpreet Singh @ Happy.
Subsequent investigations in the case revealed that Varinder Chahal was a close associate of an international Dubai-based drug smuggler and money launderer, Jasmeet Singh Hakimzada, and also of Pakistan-based self-styled Chief of KLF, Harmeet Singh @ Ph.D.
Varinder Singh Chahal was engaged in the collection of heroin consignments from Kashmiri drug dealers on the directions of Hakimzada and Ph.D, as part of a KLF narco terror module. The Narco-terror network of KLF, a proscribed terrorist organisation, was being operated by these terrorists through India-based drug smugglers, the NIA investigations revealed.
NIA investigations in the case showed that the narco-terror network being promoted by Hakimzada and Ph.D was widespread and involved drug smugglers/terror operatives and Hawala operatives based in Punjab, J&K and Delhi. NIA has established the role of Harmeet Singh @ PhD in this narco-terror network and has found that Ph.D was using the money to strengthen and expand KLF’s activities in India and to radicalise vulnerable youth to spread terror as part of the outfit’s agenda to promote terror and violence related activities in India.
The other mastermind, Hakimzada, has been engaged in promotion of narco-terror activities internationally and has been involved in smuggling of heroin and psychotropic substance around the world. The US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed financial sanctions against him by declaring him as a ‘Significant Foreign Narcotics Trafficker’.
Yesterday’s Court orders come as a major fillip for NIA’s efforts to dismantle the narco-terror network of these drug smugglers and terrorists in India.
