Mundra port heroin haul: Bail pleas of two accused rejected by NIA court

Ahmedabad: The Special Court for National Investigation Agency (NIA) cases here has rejected bail applications of two accused held in connection with the seizure of 2,988.21 kilograms of heroin at Gujarat’s Mundra Port in September last year. After hearing arguments, special NIA court judge SK Baxi on Thursday rejected regular bail pleas of Sobhan Abdul Hamid and Pradeep Kumar Singh. Hamid is accused of channelizing drug proceeds (money) from India to Afghanistan through hawala channel and Singh was arrested for allegedly helping other accused persons rent a warehouse in Delhi for the storage of drugs. While defence lawyers claimed their clients were innocent and that there was no concrete evidence against them, the prosecution argued the duo were rightly arrested by the agency. Opposing the bail plea of Hamid, Special Public Prosecutor AM Nair submitted that the applicant had handed over the drug proceeds in Indian rupees to hawala agents in Delhi, who in turn remitted equivalent amounts in US dollars to Afghanistan through hawala route. Giving details about Singh’s involvement, Nair informed the court that the applicant had assisted other accused persons in unloading and storage of a previous drugs consignment sent from Afghanistan to Mundra in June, and further transported to a warehouse in Delhi. The case relates to the seizure of 2988.21 kgs of narcotic substance (heroin) at the Mundra Port in Gujarat by the DRI, Gandhidham, on 13 September last year. The case was then transferred to the NIA. The narcotics were found concealed in import consignment of ‘semi-processed talc stones’ originating from Afghanistan. In March, the NIA had filed a charge sheet against 16 people, including 11 Afghan nationals and an Iranian citizen, for their alleged involvement in trafficking 2,988 kgs of narcotics into India through a Gujarat port. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.