The National Investigation Agency had been tracking Navpreet Singh for six months, and the operation culminated when he was apprehended at Istanbul airport by Indian officials following a diplomatic request.
Singh had used the alias Navab Virk to secure Turkish citizenship, and he allegedly ran a heroin and methamphetamine smuggling pipeline from Afghanistan into India.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the move as a 'historic milestone' in the fight against transnational drug cartels and reiterated the government's December 2029 deadline to dismantle all such networks.
The operation is part of a broader campaign that has recovered 288 fugitives from 36 countries since 2019, thanks to amendments to the NIA Act and the BHARATPOL intelligence‑sharing platform launched in January 2025.
Financial investigators have frozen assets worth ₹17,874 crore linked to Singh under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, and he faces charges of conspiracy, drug trafficking and organised crime.
A preliminary hearing will be held next month, where Singh will be formally charged and the case will be forwarded to the Supreme Court for final adjudication.