NIA files chargesheet against 11 in Attari heroin haul case

Sanjay Bumbroo

Tribune News Service

Mohali, December 27

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today filed chargesheet against 11 accused and four companies in the case relating to the seizure of 532 kg of heroin at Integrated Check Post, Attari, in the special NIA court at Mohali.

The chargesheet has been filed under Section 120-B (conspiracy) of the IPC, Section 8 read with Section 21, 23, 12, 24 and 29 of the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Sections 17, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The 11 accused are Tariq Ahmad Lone, Jasbir Singh, Nirbhail Singh, Sandeep Kaur, Ajay Gupta, Ranjit Singh, Iqbal Singh, Farookh Lone, Sahil, Shoaib Noor and Amir Noor.

The chargesheet has also been filed against four companies — Kanishk Enterprises, Gupta Fast Forwarders, Global Vision Impex and Aimex General Trading Company.

The case relates to the seizure of 532-kg heroin and 52 kg of mixed narcotics on June 29 at the ICP. The police had intercepted two persons — Gurpinder Singh, an Amritsar-based trader, and Tariq Ahmed Lone from Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir. The involvement of an international drug racket based in Pakistan as well as Afghanistan was suspected. The investigation has brought to light the case of narco-terrorism, having national and international implications with evidence of generation of funds through the proceeds of sale of narcotics smuggled from across the border.

The probe has established that the accused formed a terrorist gang to smuggle narcotics into India. The investigating agency had conducted raids at various places in Punjab and seized incriminating documents, including bank accounts details, electronic and digital devices, ammunitions and details of Hawala transactions.

The investigation has been able to establish an international conspiracy in which nationals of Afghanistan and Pakistan worked in alliance with Indian nationals belonging to Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi. A vast network of Hawala and other informal channels had been used to smuggle narcotics into India through the legitimate trade route between India and Pakistan in the garb of import of rock salt.