E-Paper
NIA gets 2-day transit remand to take extradited narco-terrorist Shera to Punjab
After securing the accused’s extradition from Portugal earlier in the day, the NIA arrested the Amritsar native and produced him before principal district and session judge Pitambar Dutt in the Patiala House courts.
A Delhi court on Wednesday allowed a two-day transit remand to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take extradited narco-terrorist Iqbal Singh alias Shera to Punjab.
After securing the accused’s extradition from Portugal earlier in the day, the NIA arrested the Amritsar native and produced him before principal district and session judge Pitambar Dutt in the Patiala House courts.
According to the NIA, Shera coordinated and supervised the trafficking and distribution of the smuggled drugs, and channelised the proceeds through hawala networks to Pakistan and Kashmir-based operatives of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) terrorist outfit to facilitate terror activities.
The arrested fugitive had a non-bailable warrant of arrest (NBW) against him in the case since October 2020. An Interpol notice had also been in place for his arrest since June 2021.
The agency sought a three-day transit remand to take him to Mohali, following which the court granted them a two-day transit remand.
According to the agency, to further the anti-India narco terror conspiracy, Shera had formed a terror gang and operated a Punjab-based network involved in trafficking large quantities of heroin, collecting sale proceeds, and transferring funds to handlers and terror operatives.
During the investigation, the NIA found Shera to be a key conspirator and handler of an India-based narco-terror module engaged in smuggling heroin from Pakistan.
The case was originally registered by the Punjab Police following the arrest of an HM overground worker, Hilal Ahmed Shergojri. Police had also recovered ₹29 lakh in alleged drug proceeds from Shergojri – a close aide of deceased terrorist commander Riyaz Ahmed Naikoo.
Further investigation had led to the recovery of another ₹32 lakh as narco terror proceeds from various Punjab-based members of the terror gang.
The NIA, after taking over the case, had launched massive efforts to dismantle the module and secure Shera’s extradition.
