Indian agencies secured the deportation of alleged drug-trafficking kingpin Navpreet Singh from Türkiye
Amit Shah said Singh had used the fake identity Navab Virk and Turkish citizenship
Shah linked Singh to heroin and methamphetamine smuggling from Afghanistan to India
Indian agencies have alleged deported the drug-trafficking kingpin Navpreet Singh from Türkiye. It said he had acquired Turkish citizenship under the name Navab Virk. He is the second kingpin sent back from Türkiye in recent months. This successful deportation adds to India’s push against overseas narcotics networks.
Union home minister Amit Shah announced the development on Saturday. Singh had been using a false identity in Türkiye before Indian agencies tracked him down and brought him back to India.
The government has linked such deportations to a broader plan to break up drug cartels by December 2029. Singh’s return also points to growing coordination between Indian agencies and authorities in Türkiye and other countries where wanted fugitives are believed to be based.
Shah's Announcement
Shah described the allegations in a public statement on Saturday. He said, “Modi govt has achieved a historic milestone by securing the deportation of hardened narco-trafficking kingpin Navpreet Singh from Türkiye. 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.”
The statement connected Singh to the movement of heroin and methamphetamine from Afghanistan into India. Shah said Indian agencies identified him despite his assumed identity and secured his deportation from Türkiye.
He also said Singh has now been brought back to India and jailed in connection with drug-trafficking cases and other crimes he is accused of. The announcement placed the operation as part of a wider anti-narcotics effort led by central agencies.
Wanted Cases Abroad
Singh is wanted in cases involving Punjab Police and Delhi Police, people aware of the matter said. That gives the deportation immediate law-enforcement value beyond the political messaging around it.
It is the second deportation from Türkiye in recent months. Before this, Türkiye sent back Salim Dola, a close aide of wanted terrorist and underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim.
The two cases point to a broader overseas hunt. Central agencies have been coordinating with their counterparts in Türkiye, the UAE and other countries to secure the deportation of such fugitives.
Anti-Drug Targets
Shah has tied these operations to a deadline. He has reiterated the government’s target of dismantling narco-cartels before December 2029, and last month announced that India will be free from drug cartels by 2029.
At the 3rd annual anti-narcotics conference on September 22, Shah had again stressed the need for a dedicated campaign to deport foreign accused present in India and blacklist them so they can never re-enter the country. He said, “The fugitives who are supplying drugs to the country from abroad should be caught and brought before the Indian courts. By targeting borders and production centres, all loopholes must be plugged.”
Under its three-year anti-drug plan, the government has listed 25 top fugitive smugglers based overseas. Two have already been brought back. States have also been told to identify major dealers in their jurisdictions and arrest them before December 2029.
