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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
In war against drug menace, Punjab Police crackdown traces major hawala conduits in Turkey, UAE
Investigations by Punjab Police into the hawala network, which funds and fuels the drugs smuggling trade in the state, has revealed that much of the illegal cash is routed through Turkey, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Malaysia, Canada, and West Asia. The Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), which has been spearheading the 'Yudh Nashyean Virudh' (war on drugs) campaign in the state has been investigating the cross border linkages of the hawala transactions and has found that the maximum transactions are routed through UAE and West Asia and that money exchangers based in India are the prime movers of this illicit cash. Speaking to The Indian Express, Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Gaurav Yadav said that the crackdown on hawala network is one of the most important aspects of the war on drugs. 'We have arrested 60 people till now in connection with hawala networks linked to drugs and have recovered more than Rs 12 crore. The investigations by ANTF have found that people from different states and professions are involved in it. Linkages have been found in Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Karnataka apart from Punjab,' said Yadav. The DGP said that it is essential to hit at the financial aspect of the drugs trade so as to make it unprofitable for anyone to venture into drugs smuggling. 'The seizure and forfeiture of property being done by the Punjab Police under the relevant provisions of the NDPS Act are also a step towards this aim. All these so called gains from the drugs trade have to be traced and connected to the big fish,' said the DGP. A senior official from ANTF said that the most commonly used conduits are currency exchanges but they have also found the involvement of some mobile repair store owners in this illegal activity. 'The international links reach Dubai, Malaysia, Canada, Pakistan and Turkey. There are digital and coded transactions over phones and bank account layering is done to obscure proceeds from heroin sales,' the official said. Recovery of Rs 4.22 crore hawala money along with 423 grams heroin, 372g gold, four cars, and motorcycles. Four inter-state hawala operators were arrested. In this case backward linkages in recovery of heroine in Amritsar led to unearthing of hawala network being run by forex agents Ashok Kumar and his brothers in Phagwara, Kapurthala. Drug was being smuggled from Pakistan by one Shahbaz, a resident of Pakistan's Narowal district, through Gurbhej Singh alias Bheja who was lodged in Amritsar Jail. The hawala money was being routed through through one gym operator Harmanjit alias Harry to the forex operator Ashok Kumar who would further launder it to Dubai. In this case there was a recovery of 7kg opium along with Rs.23 lakh of drug money. Total seven people were arrested. Here, one Iqbal was the mastermind who was collecting the hawala money on the instructions of foreign based criminal Joban Kaler. Here the money was being deposited to the forex operator Ashok Kumar of Phagwara, Kapurthala. An international narco-hawala link to a Turkey-based smuggler Navpreet Bhullar was unearthed. Six people were arrested with 1kg heroine and Rs 84.02 lakh hawala money while Rs 22 lakh has been frozen in bank accounts. Turkey based Navpreet Bhullar is the mastermind of this case with Gurdeep Saab being his on ground worker in Amritsar. In this case an interstate drug network was busted with the recovery of 60kg heroin from Barmer in Rajasthan. Eleven people were arrested out of which four are from Jammu and Kashmir, two from Rajasthan, one from Haryana and four from Punjab. During the interrogation, it came to fore that Manish Daga from Jodhpur and Ashok Punjabi from Jodhpur were handling the hawala operations within India. They were acting in close coordination with Dharmendra (resident of Ajmer), who is currently residing in Dubai. Dharmendra, in turn, is directly in touch with Tanveer Shah, a Pakistan-based smuggler believed to be the mastermind behind the cross-border drug operations. Five people have been arrested in this case. In the course of investigations significant revelations regarding hawala operations have emerged during the interrogation of the main accused Jagjit Singh, resident of Tilak Nagar, Delhi, from whom Rs .6.9 Lakh has been recovered. Originally from Afghanistan, Jagjit returned to India in 2014 and had since been operating as a key hawala conduit for cross-border drug proceeds. He is working on the instructions of one Pakistan based smuggler namely Pathan.
Hindustan Times
15-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Three of family held with ₹10 crore drugs; ran a racket
Three people of a family and a relative of theirs were arrested after they were found to be in possession of narcotic drugs worth ₹10.29 crore, in Lucknow, the state police's Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) unit said on Monday. The four people who were arrested on Sunday for operating a 'family' drug business, in Lucknow. (Sourced) It added that the family was running a drug racket, and it was one of the major narcotic busts in the city in recent times. The people who were arrested in coordination with Thakurganj police were identified as Shravan Kumar Nishad, 65, his son Ayush Nishad, 20, Neha Nishad, 24, who's the wife of his elder son Shravan, and relative Sulfiyan, 20, from Wazirbagh. The arrests in the Rautghat locality of the city were made on Sunday morning. 'The entire family was running the business. Materials were brought from Barabanki and sold in their house. One more family member is on the run, and he will be nabbed soon,' said Thukurganj SHO Shrikant Rai. ANTF said 1.015 kg of morphine, 252 grams of charas, 5.5 kg of ganja, and 6 grams of MDMA (mephedrone) were recovered from the accused. A sum of ₹79,530 in cash, a 100 Euro note, four mobile phones, and a Swift Dzire car were also seized from them. 'The family was operating as a cohesive drug distribution unit, sourcing and selling high-value narcotics across state lines. The involvement of three members from a single household shocked investigators and raised concerns over evolving patterns in the drug trade where trusted family links are being used to reduce risk and avoid detection,' said the SHO. According to the SHO, an FIR under sections 8, 20, 21 and 29 of the NDPS Act has been filed at Thakurganj police station. Further investigation was underway to identify the source network and possible interstate links, he added. pic;
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Time of India
3 of a family held as ANTF busts Rs 10cr drug racket
Lucknow: In a blow to inter-state narcotics trade, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Uttar Pradesh , in coordination with the Thakurganj police, busted a family-run drug racket and arrested four people, including an elderly man, his son, and daughter-in-law, with narcotics worth Rs 10.29 crore in the international market. While the arrests took place in Rautghat locality of Lucknow on Sunday morning, the matter came to the fore on Monday. The accused have been identified as Shravan Kumar Nishad (65), his son Ayush Nishad (20), daughter-in-law Neha Nishad (24), who is the wife of another son), and Sulfiyan (20), a close associate from Wazirbagh. "The entire family was running the racket. Drugs were brought from Barabanki and sold from their house. One more family member is on the run who will be nabbed soon," said SHO, Thakurganj, Shrikant Rai. According to ANTF officials, the joint team recovered 1kg of morphine, 252 grams of charas, 5.5 kg of ganja, and 6 grams of MDMA (mephedrone) from the accused, along with Rs 79,530 cash, a 100 Euro note, four mobile phones, and a car used for transporting the contraband. "The family was operating as a cohesive drug distribution unit, sourcing and selling high-value narcotics across the state. The involvement of three members from a single household shocked investigators and raised concerns over evolving patterns in the drug trade where trusted family links are being used to reduce risk and avoid detection," the SHO said. He said that an FIR under sections 8, 20, 21, 29 of the NDPS Act had been filed at Thakurganj police station. Further investigation is underway to identify the source network and possible interstate links.
Hindustan Times
11-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Delhi: Key member of narco-syndicate held with ₹7-crore heroin
Delhi Police has arrested a 24-year-old man allegedly linked to a national drug syndicate and seized over 400 grams of heroin, officials said on Thursday. The bust, conducted by the anti-narcotics task force (ANTF) of the crime branch, marks a significant strike against the heroin supply network in the Capital, police said. (Representational image) The bust, conducted by the anti-narcotics task force (ANTF) of the crime branch, marks a significant strike against the heroin supply network in the Capital, police said. Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said the accused, identified only as Gaurav, a resident of Rohini, was nabbed from Sultanpuri following a tip-off. 'A total of 405 grams of heroin and 1,007 small packets of suspected heroin were recovered. The haul falls under the 'commercial quantity' category under the NDPS Act,' Yadav said. The heroin, estimated to be worth ₹7 crore in the market, was being transported on a scooty, which was also seized. Gaurav was intercepted while en route to deliver the consignment. During interrogation, Gaurav revealed that he sourced the heroin from an associate named Vanshu, who is currently absconding. Police said Gaurav, a school dropout, previously dealt in illicit liquor with relatives and began selling drugs in 2023 after meeting Vanshu at a wedding. 'Efforts are underway to trace Vanshu and identify other links in the syndicate. Investigations are also focusing on the origin of the drugs and their intended destinations,' the DCP said. A case has been registered under Sections 21 and 25 of the NDPS Act. Further probes are on to map the full extent of the network.
Hindustan Times
04-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: Govt to target bail bond brokers in crackdown on drug offenders
To strengthen legal measures against drug-related crimes, the Punjab government has decided to arrest individuals who repeatedly sign surety bonds for those charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. District police have been instructed to identify individuals who have signed surety bonds for more than two cases involving drug-related offences, with such individuals now facing arrest. (HT) The new move pushed by the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), aims to curb the growing trend of people facilitating bail for drug offenders through a business model. District police have been instructed to identify individuals who have signed surety bonds for more than two cases involving drug-related offences, with such individuals now facing arrest. 'It has been observed that signing bail bonds has become a business for certain individuals at the judicial complex level. This makes it easier for drug offenders to arrange witnesses for their bail,' said an ANTF official, explaining the rationale behind the move. Under the law, a surety is typically a relative or friend of the accused who guarantees payment if the individual fails to appear in court. The law mandates that a surety must be an Indian citizen with a fixed place of residence. However, concerns have been raised about the increasing number of individuals who sign surety bonds as a business. According to a Punjab government legal officer, the law allows a person to sign a surety bond in only one case. 'It has come to light that some people are exploiting the system by charging hefty amounts to sign surety bonds for repeat drug offenders, who often struggle to find supporters,' the law officer revealed. A recent analysis by the ANTF found that some individuals have signed bail bonds in as many as 10 cases. This has raised concerns about the integrity of the legal process, especially in drug-related cases. A senior official from the ANTF said: 'When a relative or friend signs a bail bond, there is a sense of social pressure on the accused not to reoffend. But when sureties are paid, the accused may feel no pressure to change their behaviour.' Authorities say that in addition to targeting repeat surety signers, the government is exploring other measures to strengthen the legal framework and plug loopholes that drug offenders have been exploiting. This crackdown is part of the Punjab government's broader efforts to tackle the state's growing drug problem. The state's 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' campaign, launched on March 1, has seen the registration of 12,341 FIRs and the arrest of 20,180 accused individuals over the past four months.
