Narco-terror case: NIA conducts searches in Punjab

NIA has conducted searches in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts of Punjab and recovered Rs 20 Lakh, 130 live rounds of 9 mm ammunition, mobile phones, pen drive and other incriminating documents, as part of its probe in Hizb-ul-Mujahideen narco-terror funding case.

New Delhi:The anti-terror probe agency NIA on Thursday said the agency sleuths have conducted searches in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts of Punjab and recovered Rs 20 Lakh (drug proceeds), 130 live rounds of 9 mm ammunition, mobile phones, pen drive and other incriminating documents, as part of its probe in Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) narco-terror funding case.

A senior NIA official said the raids were conducted today at the premises of suspect Manpreet Singh, a resident of Kala Afghana, Teja Khurd, Batala, in Gurdaspur district. Manpreet is alleged to be “a close associate of charge-sheeted accused Ranjit Singh alias Cheetah and Iqbal Singh alias Shera in connection with the case”, he said.

“During investigation, it was revealed that Manpreet Singh, a hawala operator, had collected heroin, drug proceeds and weapons and transported them in his i20 and Verna car as per directions of accused Ranjit Singh. Further, Manpreet Singh delivered the drugs proceeds to the tune of Rs 35 lakh and weapons to the charge-sheeted accused Bikram Singh alias Vicky, relative of Ranjeet Singh, during March 2020,” the NIA official said.

Giving details of the seizures during searched the official said, “Rs 20 lakh (drug proceeds), 130 live rounds of 9 mm ammunition, mobile phones, pen drive, one bunch of polythene bags used for packing heroin, one Hyundai Verna car, a two wheeler, documents related to properties and other incriminating documents.”

The case relates to the arrest of Hilal Ahmad Shergojri, an over ground worker of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and a close associate of Riyaz Ahmed Naikoo, the then commander of the terror outfit, who had come to Amritsar to collect the funds to further the terrorist activities in Jammu & Kashmir. Rs 29 lakh along with a Tata truck was seized from the accused on April 25, 2020 by Punjab Police.

This case was originally registered on April 25, 2020 at Police Station Sadar, Amritsar City, under various sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act – UAPA, the NIA official said, adding that subsequently sections of NDPS Act were added during investigation.

The case was re-registered by NIA on May 8, 2020 and taken up for investigation. NIA has filed charge sheets against 11 accused persons at a special court in Mohali in the case, he said.

PTI