NIA attaches Amritsar property in narco-terror case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has attached the house of two brothers in Amritsar district of Punjab in connection with a “Pakistan-sponsored” narco-terror case, the agency said on July 4.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has attached the house of two brothers in Amritsar district of Punjab in connection with a “Pakistan-sponsored” narco-terror case, the agency said on July 4.

The residential property, which has been attached under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, belongs to Bikramjit Singh aka Bikram Singh and Maninder Singh. They were earlier arrested by the NIA. The agency has so far filed four chargesheets against 13 accused in the case which was registered on May 8, 2020.

The case pertains to the allegation that a narco-terror module was smuggling large quantities of drugs into India from Pakistan, in the garb of exporting rock salt. “The sale proceeds of the smuggled drugs were being used to create movable and immovable properties in Punjab, besides being channelised to fund terrorists of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen in the Kashmir Valley,” the agency said.

The NIA had earlier attached 7.5 acres of land in the same case. Six vehicles and ₹6.35 lakh in cash were also seized.

Following the same modus operandi, in June 2019, 532 kg of heroin was being pushed into the Indian territory through the Wagah-Attari border in Punjab. Concealed in six rock salt consignments, the contraband was detected by the Customs Department on June 29, 2019. Gurpinder Singh, the owner of Amritsar-based Kanishk Enterprises, was arrested at the spot and Tariq Ahmed Lone of Handwara in Jammu & Kashmir was held later.

That case was also taken over by the NIA, which filed chargesheets against “mastermind” Ranjeet Singh Rana, Tariq Lone, his Pakistan-based relative Farooq Lone, one Ajay Gupta, Pakistani nationals Sahil and Sohaib Noor, apart from Kanishk Enterprises, Gupta Fast Forwarders, Global Vision Impex and Aimex General Trading Company.

The NIA probe revealed that the syndicate had been smuggling drugs through the Pakistan-based Vision Impex Company, owned by Sohaib Noor. In Amritsar, the consignments were received allegedly through Rishabh Overseas, Kanishk Enterprises and Gupta Fast Forwards Ltd.