New Delhi: A Delhi court Saturday remanded alleged international narcotics trafficking accused Navpreet Singh to 10 days of police custody after he was deported from Turkey and brought back to India in connection with a major drug trafficking case.
Singh was produced before the Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi following his deportation from Turkey, where he was allegedly living under the identity of Navab Virk.
Seeking his custodial remand, the police said that his questioning was required as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged international narcotics trafficking network and to ascertain the role of other accused and the wider network.
However, the defence opposed the police remand plea, saying that there was no need for further custodial interrogation.
Advocate Asgar Khan, appearing for Singh, told the court that the police had already recorded his statement while he was in custody and that further investigation could proceed on the basis of the statement.
“We presented our arguments against the police remand before the court, but the court granted it,” Khan told IANS.
Navpreet Singh has been accused by investigating agencies of being linked to an international drug trafficking network allegedly operating between Afghanistan, India and Turkey
According to the investigation, Singh was allegedly operating as a key handler of the network from Turkey and was accused of facilitating the trafficking of heroin and methamphetamine from Afghanistan to India.
His name had also surfaced in connection with a major narcotics case that came to light in Delhi in 2021, in which investigators recorded the recovery of around 355.5 kg of heroin from the accused persons.
Investigating agencies have claimed that Singh used the identity “Navab Virk” and obtained Turkish citizenship under the assumed identity while continuing to operate the alleged narcotics network.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah Saturday described Singh’s deportation from Turkey as a “historic milestone” for the Narendra Modi-led Union government.
In a post on social media platform X, Home Minister Shah said that Singh had obtained Turkish citizenship under the alleged fake identity of Navab Virk and continued to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine to India from Afghanistan.
“Our agencies tracked him down, ripping apart veil after veil to unmask his true identity, and secured his deportation. Today he has been brought back to India and put behind bars in connection with cases involving drug trafficking and other crimes he is accused of. Congratulations to all the agencies for this success,” the Union Minister added.
Union Minister Shah also said that the Central government was committed to destroying every narco-cartel before December 2029.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said Singh’s deportation was part of the Centre’s efforts to bring back fugitives involved in serious criminal cases.
The development comes months after suspected drug trafficker Mohammad Salim Dola was brought back to India from Turkey.
Earlier, fugitive Prabhdeep Singh was also brought back from Azerbaijan in connection with a major narcotics case involving the recovery of a large quantity of heroin.
The investigation against Navpreet Singh and other accused is underway.
