NIA Chargesheets 7 More Drug Traffickers in Attari Narcotics Haul Case

In its supplementary chargesheet filed under the NDPS Act in the court of ASJ/Special Judge/NDPS, Patiala House Court, New Delh, the NIA identified the seven accused persons to be key operatives in the international drug syndicate conspiracy related to the case RC-35/2022/NIA/DLI.

As per NIA investigations, all seven chargesheeted accused, identified as Athar Saeed, Amritpal Singh, Avtar Singh, Harwinder Singh, Tahseem, Deepak Khurana and Ahmad Farid, were involved in the smuggling of drugs into India and their circulation to various distributors across the country.

They were also involved in channelizing the proceeds of the drugs to the main accused persons based abroad. The agency had earlier chargesheeted four accused in the case.

In April 2022, the Indian Customs department had seized a total of 102.784 kgs of heroin, a narcotic substance, valued at approximately Rs.700 crore, in two instalments at ICP Attari, Amritsar. The drugs were concealed in a consignment of Licorice roots (Mulethi).

It had been smuggled into the country by Afghanistan-based Nazir Ahmed Qani on the directions of Dubai-based absconding accused Shahid Ahmed alias Qazi Abdul Wadood, as per NIA investigations. The consignment was meant to be delivered to accused Razi Haider Zaidi for distribution in various parts of the country.

The NIA had in December 2022 chargesheeted all three, along with one Vipin Mittal. Mittal and Razi were initially arrested in the case, and in December 2023, it also arrested another accused, Amritpal Singh, after recovering the proceeds of narcotics amounting to Rs 1.34 crore from him.

Amritpal was nabbed while attempting to flee the country. In April and May 2024, the NIA made five more arrests in the case, identifying the accused as Athar Saeed, Avtar Singh, Harwinder Singh, Tahseem and Deepak Khurana. NIA is continuing with its investigations in the case.