The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday said they had apprehended alleged ‘notorious narco-terrorist' Ranjit Singh after carrying out intelligence-based raids in Sirsa, Haryana along with teams from the Punjab and Haryana police.
Ranjit Singh, AKA Cheeta, is, along with Iqbal Singh Shera, one of the prime accused in a case registered by the NIA in connection with the seizure of 532 kg of heroin hidden in a consignment of rock salt imported from Pakistan. He had been on the run for nearly a year.
The seizure was made by the Custom Authorities at ICP Attari on June 29 2019, and further investigation revealed that Pakistan-based entities had been smuggling narcotics from Pakistan into India by hiding the drugs in sacks of rock salt. An elaborate network of importers, Customs House Agents and transporters was revealed to have been involved according to an investigation, with the operation financed through international hawala channels.
An investigation also established that the seized consignment was a part of a total of five consignments of drugs, four out of which had been successfully smuggled into India. The first charge-sheet in this case was submitted by NIA on December 27 in 2019 in the Special NIA Court, Mohali against 15 accused persons including four companies and also Ranjit Singh, who had been absconding since then.
Singh is also the prime accused in the case of a Hizbul Mujahideen terror-funding module that was busted with the arrest by the Punjab Police of Hilal Ahmad Wagay in Amritsar, who was carrying Rs 29 lakh in cash. Wagay, a resident of Nowgam, Awantipora, in Jammu and Kashmir was arrested on April 25 this year. This money was being transported to the Kashmir valley to be handed over to Riyaz Naikoo (now killed), former chief operational commander of Hizbul Mujahideen. The case registered by Punjab Police in this connection, has been re-registered and taken over by NIA.