HM Terror Financing Mastermind Arrested at Delhi Airport After Return to India
New Delhi, May 13 :
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday arrested wanted narco-terrorist Iqbal Singh alias Shera after successfully securing his extradition from Portugal in connection with a Hizbul Mujahideen-linked narco-terror case.
Officials said Shera, who had absconded to Portugal in 2020, was brought back to India following sustained diplomatic and legal efforts. He was taken into custody by an NIA team at Delhi airport immediately upon his arrival.
According to the NIA, Shera was a key conspirator and handler in the HM Narco-Terror Module case registered as RC-23/2020/NIA/DLI. A non-bailable warrant had been issued against him in October 2020, while an Interpol notice for his arrest was issued in June 2021.
Investigations revealed that Shera masterminded a cross-border narcotics smuggling network operating from Punjab with links to Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen operatives. He allegedly coordinated the trafficking of heroin from Pakistan into Punjab and channelled the proceeds through hawala networks to terror operatives in Pakistan and Kashmir for carrying out terror activities.
The NIA said Shera had created a Punjab-based terror and drug trafficking network involved in the smuggling of large quantities of heroin, collection of drug money, and transfer of funds to handlers and terrorists linked with HM.
The case was initially registered by Punjab Police after the arrest of Hizbul Mujahideen overground worker Hilal Ahmed Shergojri, a close aide of slain militant commander Riyaz Ahmed Naikoo. During the investigation, police had recovered ₹29 lakh in drug proceeds from Hilal’s possession and later seized another ₹32 lakh from various members of the Punjab-based module.
The agency described Shera’s extradition and arrest as a significant breakthrough in its crackdown on Pakistan-backed narco-terror networks and cross-border terrorism. Further investigation into the case is underway.(KNC)