‘Historic milestone’: Amit Shah hails deportation of narco-trafficking kingpin Navpreet Singh from Türkiye

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday hailed the Modi government for securing the deportation of alleged narco-trafficking kingpin Navpreet Singh from Türkiye, describing the development as a “historic milestone”.

Shah said the government had secured Singh’s deportation after Indian agencies tracked him down and established his identity.
“Modi govt has achieved a historic milestone by securing the deportation of hardened narco-trafficking kingpin Navpreet Singh from Türkiye,” Shah said in a post on social media platform X.

Singh allegedly used fake identity to obtain Turkish citizenship

According to Shah, Singh had obtained Turkish citizenship using the fake identity of Navab Virk and continued to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine from Afghanistan to India.

“Obtaining Turkish citizenship under the fake identity of Navab Virk, he had continued to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine to India from Afghanistan. Our agencies tracked him down, ripping apart veil after veil to unmask his true identity, and secured his deportation. Today he has been brought back to India and put behind bars in connection with cases involving drug trafficking and other crimes he is accused of. Congratulations to all the agencies for this success,” he said.

The Home Minister congratulated all the agencies involved in the operation and reiterated the government’s commitment to tackling drug trafficking.

“Modi govt is committed to destroying every narco-cartel before Dec 2029,” Shah added.

Other alleged drug traffickers brought back to India

Earlier in April, close aide of gangster Dawood Ibrahim and suspected drug trafficker Mohammad Salim Dola was brought back to India from Türkiye.

Shah had then said that the Narcotics Control Bureau had achieved a breakthrough in securing Dola’s return from Türkiye. He said Dola’s arrest reflected the government’s resolve to bring narcotics fugitives and members of organised crime syndicates to justice.

Earlier in May, the Delhi Police Special Cell, in coordination with the Central Bureau of Investigation, had also extradited fugitive Prabhdeep Singh from Azerbaijan in connection with a major narcotics case involving the recovery of 358 kg of heroin.

Prabhdeep, who had been absconding since 2023, was brought back to India from Baku by a three-member Special Cell team after completion of extradition formalities, police said.

India-Türkiye extradition treaty

India and Türkiye signed an extradition treaty in 2001, which came into force in June 2002. The agreement allows both countries to seek the transfer of fugitives wanted in terrorism and other serious criminal cases.

In previous cases, Türkiye has assisted India in deporting individuals linked to extremist networks, including suspected Islamic State operatives. Such cases are often coordinated through Interpol using Red Notices and other established procedures.

(with IANS inputs)