LeT Links Exposed in Mundra Port Heroin Seizure, NIA Opposes Bail

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has informed the Supreme Court that the 2,988 kg heroin seized at Mundra Port in Gujarat in 2021 was not merely a case of narcotics smuggling. As per reports, the massive consignment was part of a larger international conspiracy to finance terror activities orchestrated by the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

LeT Linked to Massive Heroin Seizure Case, Says NIA

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati,  from the NIA, told the court that a source has disclosed how Lateef Rather, a slain operative of the LeT proxy outfit The Resistance Front (TRF) used to coordinate with drug traffickers from Pakistan and Afghanistan. ”The money was used for procuring weapons and ammunition for new recruits of Laskar-e-Taiba,” the NIA quoted the witness as saying.

The heroin was smuggled into India disguised as legal imports such as bituminous coal and semi-processed talc. Six consignments were reportedly brought in by the same senders, with the final one intercepted at Mundra Port. The trafficking route involved Bandar Abbas port in Iran, allegedly facilitated by intermediaries from Iran and Pakistan.

Harpreet Singh's bail plea opposed.

Opposing the bail plea of accused Harpreet Singh alias Kabir Talwar, the ASG argued that he had received shipments of dates and perfumes, which were "essentially the payment he was receiving in kind for his involvement in the operation."

Referring to the suspicious death of a retired customs officer who had cleared a previous consignment, Bhati remarked, "When we questioned him, he said he would make a statement, but later that night, he was found dead."

Bhati also emphasised the gravity of the case, telling the court, "This is the largest the country has ever seen... the international value of this is Rs 21,000 crore."

According to the report, the Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on Talwar’s bail plea.