Navpreet Singh brought back, held in India
New Delhi, October 3: Indian agencies have secured the deportation of alleged narco-trafficking kingpin Navpreet Singh from Türkiye, where he had obtained citizenship under the fake identity of Navab Virk, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday.
Shah said Singh had allegedly continued to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine from Afghanistan to India while operating under the assumed identity. Indian agencies tracked him down, established his identity and secured his deportation, he said.
Singh has now been brought back to India and taken into custody in connection with cases involving alleged drug trafficking and other crimes, Shah said. A Delhi court subsequently remanded him to 10 days of police custody, with investigators seeking to establish the alleged cross-border network and the roles of other accused persons.
In a post on X, Shah described the deportation as a “historic milestone” and congratulated the agencies involved. He said the Government was committed to dismantling narco-trafficking networks.
Singh, also known as “Nav”, had been wanted in connection with a major narcotics case in Delhi involving the seizure of around 355.5 kg of heroin, according to court-related records cited in media reports. Investigators have alleged that he was a key handler of a transnational drug network operating from Türkiye.
The latest action is part of a wider government campaign to bring fugitives back to India. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 288 fugitives from 36 countries were brought back to India between 2019 and August 2026.
The Government said the process of pursuing fugitive offenders was taken up in “mission mode” from 2020, following amendments to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in 2019. The expanded approach included pursuing individual terrorists, handlers, funding networks and support systems operating from abroad.
To strengthen coordination with international law-enforcement agencies, Shah launched BHARATPOL in January 2025. The platform integrates the CBI, State Police Headquarters through Interpol Liaison Officers and District Police Headquarters. According to the Home Ministry, more than 1,400 units of State and Central agencies have been connected to the platform.
The Government said information sought by the CBI is now generally shared by other law-enforcement agencies within 10 to 20 days, and in some cases within three to 10 days, improving coordination in investigations and extradition proceedings.
The Home Ministry also said assets worth ₹17,874 crore belonging to fugitive criminals were attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act between 2019 and 2026. It added that Red Corner Notices had been issued against 401 fugitive criminals over the past three years, including 182 till July 2026.
Shah said the Government was committed to destroying every narco-cartel before December 2029.
