Guj Drug Haul: NIA Opposes Accused Bail Plea, Says Funds Used In Terror Attacks By LeT

New Delhi, Apr 23: The National Investigation Agency on Wednesday in the Supreme Court opposed the bail plea of a Delhi-based businessman held in the Rs 21,000 crore Mundra port drug haul case and said the proceeds of sale were used for funding terror activities of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh reserved its verdict on the bail plea of Harpreet Singh Talwar alias Kabir Talwar, who ran popular clubs in the national capital and was arrested by the agency in August, 2022, in what is termed as biggest drug haul in the country.
“These are front people of the organisation but the blood of innocent people who lost their lives in terror attacks is also on their hands,” additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati said.
Bhati, appearing for the NIA, said it was a test case of sending narco consignment (heroin) to India, disguised as legal imports in the form of semi-processed talc stones (a raw material having wide range of applications).
“The said semi-processed talc stones were heroin laden stones, which were imported to India in the name of newly opened proprietor firms and shell companies which showed this heroin laden semi-processed talc stones as a business commodity,” the NIA said in an affidavit.
The anti-terror agency said after succeeding in importing heroin laden semi-processed talc stones in India through the legal import channel, the narcotrafficker located in Afghanistan, through the help of Pakistan-based intelligence agency ISI and an Iranian middlemen imported a large consignment of 2988.21 kilogram of heroin, through the same modus operandi which was used to sent the consignment from Afghanistan via Bandar Abbas, Iran and then imported in India concealed as talc powder in the name of importing Company namely M/s Aashi Trading Company.
“The proceeds of this sale for all these consignments, was to be used for funding terror activities of Lashkar-e-Taiba,” it alleged.
The agency referred to the offence’s seriousness, trans-national ramifications, involvement of Intelligence agencies of countries having interest inimical to the country and the progress in investigation and said the court already dismissed the bail application of several co-accused in the case.
“Investigations have already revealed that the mastermind of the instant narco–terror is Pakistan’s ISI and Pakistan backed banned terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba. As such considering the totality of the matter in the respectful submission of the petitioner bail ought not be granted in the instant matter so as to prevent miscarriage of justice and obfuscation of the trial of instant international conspiracy of heinous nature,” the NIA said.
The present case was pointed out to be “largest intercepted consignment of narco-substance” being brought to India through illicit means. Bhati called Talwar a habitual offender who was previously booked in several cases of smuggling, raising apprehensions of witnesses being either influences or killed if he was enlarged on bail.
She referred to the case of a retired custom official, who acted as facilitator at Kolkata port for first consignment dated November 9, 2020 (pertaining to Talwar) but when he wanted to join the investigation, he was found dead (suspected suicide) in a hotel at Jungpura, New Delhi.
Senior advocate A Sundaram, appearing for Talwar, argued there was no evidence to pin the charges of smuggling on his client and all he did was importing talc stones to India from Afghanistan.
He said none of the witnesses named him to be involved in the conspiracy and the high court erred in not granting bail to him.
On September 12, 2021, some containers arrived at Mundra Port from Afghanistan via Iran, filled with bags full of semi-processed talc stones.
Based on intelligence inputs, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence checked the containers on September 13, 2021 and some of the bags were found to contain heroin, eventually leading to the recovery of 2988.21 kilogram of heroin worth of Rs 21,000 crore.
Investigators later found that it was the sixth and last consignment which was intercepted.
Several people including Afghan nationals were arrested in connection with the case. (PTI)

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