New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday arrested wanted narco-terrorist Iqbal Singh alias Shera after successfully securing his extradition from Portugal following prolonged diplomatic and legal efforts, officials said.
Shera, who is considered the mastermind of a major Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) terror financing case, was brought back to India after completion of the due legal process.
He was taken into custody by an NIA team at Delhi airport soon after arriving from Portugal, where he had been absconding since 2020.
Officials described the successful extradition and arrest as a major breakthrough in the NIA’s ongoing crackdown against Pakistan-backed narco-terror and cross-border terror networks operating in India.
According to the agency, Shera had been declared a wanted accused in the HM Narco-Terror Module case, and a non-bailable warrant (NBW) had been issued against him in October 2020. An Interpol notice seeking his arrest had also been issued in June 2021.
During the course of the investigation, the NIA identified Shera as a key conspirator and handler of an India-based narco-terror module involved in smuggling heroin from Pakistan into India.
A resident of Punjab’s Amritsar district, Shera masterminded the conspiracy to traffic narcotics across the border and operate a large distribution network within the country.
Investigators found that he coordinated and supervised the trafficking and circulation of heroin consignments while also routing the proceeds through hawala channels to Pakistan and Kashmir-based Hizb-ul-Mujahideen operatives to fund terror activities.
Officials said Shera had formed a terror-linked gang to further the anti-India narco-terror conspiracy and had established a Punjab-based network involved in heroin trafficking, collection of drug money and transfer of funds to terror handlers and operatives. He was also allegedly in close contact with Pakistan-based HM operatives.
The case was initially registered by the Punjab Police after the arrest of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen overground worker Hilal Ahmed Shergojri. During the operation, police had recovered Rs 29 lakh in drug proceeds from Hilal, who was said to be a close associate of slain terrorist commander Riyaz Ahmed Naikoo.
Subsequent investigation had led to the recovery of another Rs 32 lakh, believed to be linked to narco-terror funding, from various Punjab-based members associated with the terror network.
After taking over the investigation, the NIA intensified efforts to dismantle the module and initiate Shera’s extradition from Portugal.
Further investigation into the case is underway.
(IANS)
