Mundra drug haul: NIA intends to probe overseas to unearth money trail

AHMEDABAD: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) intends to extend the scope of its investigation and carry out its inquiry outside India to unveil entire criminal conspiracy behind Rs 21,000-crore heroin haul at Mundra port and to trace the money trail because of involvement of international drug mafia.
The probe agency informed this to a special court on Tuesday while demanding custodial interrogation of nine more accused persons, whose custody was obtained from the Punjab police.The court ordered nine accused - Sarabjit Singh, Jannat Gul Kaker, Mujahid Shinari, Shami Ullah Afghan, Mohammad Lal Kaker, Imtiaz Ahmed, Imran Ahmed, Jasbir Singh and Balwinder Singh – to be sent to NIA’s custody till March 29, said special prosecutor Amit Nair.
The NIA has arrested 10 accused and charged them under the NDPS Act, UAPA and IPC for smuggling 2,998.21kg heroin from Afghanistan through Bandar Abbas port of Iran to Mundra in September 2021. The agency has shown six absconders as well in this case. It obtained custody of nine others who were allegedly involved in earlier smuggling case by the same set of accused. The consignment went to Sainik Farm in New Delhi and these nine accused were allegedly involved in its purification and distribution. They were booked by the Punjab police under NDPS Act. They allegedly sent Rs 76 crore to Afghanistan through hawala channels after earning money from sale of the contraband.
In its remand application, NIA told the court that it wanted to interrogate these nine accused because they hatched conspiracy to smuggle heroin in India with the help of Afghan nationals and the conspiracy has to be unearthed. They were involved in smuggling and distribution on instructions of a wanted accused, Mohammad Hussain Shah. Interrogating them could bring out information on whereabout of other accused persons.
The probe agency wants to unearth entire hawala transaction and how money went outside India through arrested Mohammad Lal Kaker, Imtiaz Ahmed and Imran Ahmed. Therefore, the NIA “intends to extend scope of investigation by way of carrying out overseas inquiry, wherever required, for which NIA needs to unveil entire conspiracy, sequence of event and money trail”.