NIA arrests UP man in drug smuggling across border

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested another key accused Tahseem alias Mota, involved in receiving the proceeds of drugs and channelising them to the foreign-based absconding masterminds, officials said.

He is a resident of Shamli in Uttar Pradesh.

The NIA officials said the man was arrested in a major breakthrough in the Attari border narcotics smuggling and seizure case.

He is the seventh accused to be arrested in the case of the recovery and seizure of 102.784 kg of heroin (narcotics substance), worth Rs 700 crore.

The drugs were seized by the Indian Customs Department on two occasions in April 2022, after they were smuggled into India from Afghanistan through Attari Integrated Check Post (ICP), Amritsar.

The drugs were concealed in a consignment of licorice roots (mulethi).

The officials said Tahseem, a habitual offender, was found to have received multiple cash deposits in his account from Punjab.

They said financial investigations and examination of several associates of the accused persons by NIA revealed that the funds received by Tahseem were proceeds of drug sales.

He was also the key operative in the larger conspiracy hatched by the international drug cartel to circulate drugs to various distributors in India.

On December 16, 2022, the NIA charge-sheeted four persons, namely Shahid Ahmed alias Qazi Abdul Wadood, Nazir Ahmed Qani, Razi Haider Zaidi, and Vipin Mittal in the case. Shahid Ahmed and Nazir Ahmed Qani are currently absconding.

Razi Haider and Vipin Mittal were arrested earlier in the case, followed by the arrest of another accused, Amritpal Singh, who was caught on December 15, 2023, while trying to flee the country.

Proceeds of narcotics amounting to Rs 1.34 crore were recovered from Amritpal Singh and frozen under relevant legal provisions.

The NIA said further investigations were underway in the case.