New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) The Delhi Police Crime Branch has busted an alleged international narco-terror module involved in the procurement, concealment and clandestine export of opium to overseas markets, uncovering a suspected drugs-for-weapons nexus and alleged terror financing network linked to designated Khalistani terrorist Arshdeep Singh Gill alias Arsh Dalla, officials said on Sunday.

The investigation by the AGS/Crime Branch, Dwarka, began with the interception of an export parcel destined for Canada and subsequently led to the recovery of 5.138 kg of opium, the arrest of four alleged members of the syndicate and the identification of a wider network operating across Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, as well as overseas.

According to the Crime Branch, the recovered consignment has an estimated international market value of approximately Rs 3.5 crore in Canada.

The case originated on February 7, when the Crime Branch received specific information that a parcel booked through a courier company in New Delhi for dispatch to Canada contained narcotic drugs concealed beneath ordinary food and household articles.

A raiding team reached the courier company’s premises in Moti Nagar, New Delhi, and intercepted the parcel before it could be exported. Although the package was declared to contain ordinary food items, officers found a specially fabricated false bottom beneath which 2.998 kg of opium had been concealed.

The police said the concealment was specifically designed to evade routine security screening and customs inspection.

A case was registered at the Crime Branch police station under Sections 18/23 of the NDPS Act.

Rather than treating the seizure as an isolated recovery, investigators traced the entire courier chain, identified the dispatcher, examined digital devices, scrutinised financial transactions and followed technical leads, officials said.

The investigation subsequently resulted in additional recoveries and the identification of more members of the alleged syndicate.

During the investigation, officials said that several raids were conducted in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Police intercepted additional export consignments and recovered 921 grams of opium from another parcel destined for Canada, followed by 1,196 grams from a third export consignment and 23 grams from the possession of accused Simranjeet Singh.

According to the Crime Branch, sustained interrogation of the accused, forensic examination of mobile phones and analysis of encrypted communications revealed an organised interstate network with separate modules handling procurement, concealment, transportation, packing and international dispatch of narcotics.

The investigation culminated in the arrest of four principal accused Simranjeet Singh (24), a resident of Punjab’s Bathinda; Hardeep Singh (28), resident of Punjab’s Barnala; Yadvinder Singh alias Jashan Sandhu (30), a resident of Haryana’s Sirsa, and Jivan Singh (23), a resident of Rajasthan’s Balotra — while the role of foreign-based conspirators remains under investigation.

The most significant finding of the investigation, according to police, was the alleged linkage of the narcotics network with Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dalla, a designated Khalistani terrorist operating from abroad, officials said.

The Crime Branch alleged that the opium smuggled out of India was destined for Arsh Dalla and his network overseas. The drugs were allegedly sold abroad, with the proceeds used partly to finance and expand the gang’s criminal activities and partly channelled to hostile foreign-based handlers.

In return, police alleged, weapons were smuggled into India through cross-border drone drops in Punjab’s border belt, with the arms intended for gang members and associates of the Arsh Dalla network operating in the state.

Police described this as a “drugs-for-weapons” pipeline in which narcotics trafficking generated funds for terror-linked activities and arms procurement.

The investigation also highlighted the economics behind the alleged network. According to the Crime Branch, opium procured in India for approximately Rs 1.5 lakh per kilogram, or around Rs 150 per gram, could command a price of 50 to 100 Canadian dollars per gram on the streets of Canada.

At prevailing exchange rates, this was estimated at approximately Rs 3,300 to Rs 6,700 per gram, allowing the traffickers to make profits of more than 20 to 40 times the procurement cost, according to police.

The Crime Branch alleged that these profits helped finance the purchase of weapons and the wider terror network.

Investigators said the syndicate employed a sophisticated system to evade detection at multiple stages. Opium was allegedly procured through clandestine sources connected with Arsh Dalla in Canada and from dead drops located using GPS coordinates shared over encrypted applications.

The narcotics were concealed beneath silver-foil false bottoms inside cartons containing ordinary food articles and, in some cases, inside garments. Forged or unauthorised KYC documents and fictitious consignor details were allegedly used to book parcels in the names of unsuspecting persons. The consignments were routed through multiple intermediaries to conceal their actual origin and handlers.

Communication was conducted through encrypted and internet-based applications, including Canadian WhatsApp numbers and Signal. Proceeds, rewards and operational expenses were allegedly moved through proxy and benami bank accounts and UPI channels belonging to relatives and associates.

Forensic examination of the seized digital devices allegedly revealed communication involving coordination, consignee details and concealment instructions exchanged through encrypted platforms.

The financial investigation also uncovered what police described as a layered money trail. Proceeds and operational funds were allegedly routed through proxy and benami accounts and UPI channels to distance the principal conspirators from the transactions.

Certified banking records, along with call and internet data records of relevant numbers, were obtained and examined to establish the communication and financial links within the alleged network.

Although four members of the alleged module have been arrested, the Crime Branch said the investigation against absconding conspirators, including foreign-based designated terrorist Arsh Dalla, his handlers and associates operating in Punjab, is continuing.

The Crime Branch said the operation had not only removed a commercial quantity of narcotics from circulation but also helped expose an alleged network through which drug proceeds were being used for terror financing and cross-border arms infiltration.

–IANS

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