New Delhi, May 13:The National Investigation Agency has arrested wanted narco-terror suspect Iqbal Singh alias Shera after successfully bringing him back to India from Portugal through extradition.
According to the NIA, Shera was a key mastermind in a Hizbul Mujahideen-linked terror financing and drug smuggling case. He was taken into custody by NIA officials at Delhi airport after arriving from Portugal, where he had reportedly been hiding since 2020.
Investigators said Shera played a major role in smuggling heroin from Pakistan into Punjab and using the money earned from drug trafficking to support terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir. The agency alleged that he operated a network involved in narcotics trade, hawala transactions, and funding of terror operatives linked to Hizbul Mujahideen.
The case was first registered by Punjab Police after the arrest of Hizbul Mujahideen overground worker Hilal Ahmed Shergojri. Police had recovered large amounts of suspected drug money during the investigation.
The NIA said Shera had been wanted for several years and was facing a non-bailable warrant since 2020. An Interpol notice had also been issued against him in 2021.
Officials described the extradition as a major success in India’s fight against cross-border narco-terrorism. Further investigation in the case is still underway.