NIA seizes Punjab plots in narco-terror case
Two sealed plots in Amritsar’s Sultanwind suburb tell a bigger story. For years, National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigators have tracked how 500 kilograms of Pakistani heroin, smuggled by sea almost eight years ago, continues to fund Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) through Indian intermediaries, overseas coordinators, and real estate deals used to hide the money.
On Thursday, NIA teams seized Plot Nos. 128 and 129 in Phase-I of Akash Vihar. The plots registered in the name of Anwar Masih were taken under Section 25(1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Officials called the properties “proceeds of terrorism.” This move is part of a larger effort to stop funding in the Salaya drug seizure case (RC-26/2020/NIA/DLI).
“By using anti-terror laws instead of regular crime statutes to target these assets, the NIA is making it clear that the financial side of narco-terrorism is now a main focus. The investigation is still ongoing, with attention on the remaining money trails and the overseas links that have kept this network running for almost ten years”, senior officials said.
What began as a small drug bust by Gujarat ATS in 2018 has now uncovered a complex international network that reaches Pakistan, Dubai, Italy, Australia, the UAE, Thailand, Iran, and Afghanistan.
Pakistani fishing boats brought about 500 kg of high-purity heroin, worth Rs 1,500 crore internationally, into the waters near Jakhau and Salaya between March and May 2018. From Gujarat, the drugs moved north to Punjab, where local groups stored, processed, and distributed them. The NIA says Dubai was the main planning centre. Pakistani handlers, especially Haji Saab, also known as Bhaijaan, led the operation.
The NIA identified key overseas players, such as Simranjeet Singh Sandhu in Italy and Tanvir Singh Bedi in Australia, who managed logistics. Indian operatives took care of warehouses and hawala transfers, turning drug profits into funds for LeT. Anwar Masih managed the Punjab side of the network and was named in a 2022 chargesheet for distribution offences.
The Special Task Force (STF) of the Punjab Police had already arrested Masih in 2020 for another case involving 194 kg of heroin linked to a processing facility in the same Akash Vihar area. Now, investigators have connected some assets to the larger terror-financing network, turning a local drug case into a national security issue.
This is the second major property seizure in this case this year. In June, the NIA seized a house in Amritsar’s Holy City area linked to another suspect, Ankush Kapoor. So far, 26 people have been arrested, and several more chargesheets have been filed in Ahmedabad. The NIA has used its findings to put financial pressure on the network. However, leaders based in other countries remain free, showing how difficult it is to dismantle networks that span borders.
