Narco kingpin Navpreet Singh deported from Turkiye: Shah

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said Indian agencies have secured the deportation of narco kingpin Navpreet Sisngh from Turkiye.

In his post on X, Shah said, "Modi govt has achieved a milestone by securing the deportation of hardened narco-trafficking kingpin Navpreet Singh from Turkiye. Obtaining Turkish citizenship under the fake identity of Navab Virk, he had continued to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine to India from Afghanistan."

Shah noted, "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. Congratulations to all the agencies. The Modi government is committed to destroying every narco-cartel before Dec 2029."


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The Modi government has launched a coordinated campaign to bring back fugitives. Since 2019 to August 2026, a total of 288 fugitives from 36 countries have been brought back to India. Previous governments lacked the political will to bring back fugitives; the government has made the extradition of fugitives a 'national priority', according to an official statement.

In line with PM Modi's vision, Shah has emphasised a three-pronged strategy against fugitives: global outreach, strong coordination and smart diplomacy. The home minister described the issue of fugitive offenders as one that is intrinsically linked to the country's sovereignty, economic stability, law and order, and national security, the statement added.

The government enacted the NIA (Amendment) Act and the UAPA (Amendment) Act in 2019, and from 2020 onwards, the process of bringing fugitive offenders back to India was taken up in a mission mode. As a result, enforcement efforts were no longer confined to proscribed organisations alone. The scope of action was expanded to include individual terrorists, handlers, funding networks and support systems based abroad, as per the statement.