13 people, all of whom are citizens of Pakistan, were charged by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday in connection with a case that dates back to 2022. The case involves the smuggling of firearms and illegal substances into Gujarat from Pakistan with the goal of funding terrorism in India.
Ten of the thirteen accused were successfully arrested by law enforcement in December 2022. The arrests were made when a large amount of drugs and weapons that were hidden within petrol cylinders were found aboard a Pakistani fishing boat.
40 kilogrammes of heroin, six pistols made abroad, six magazines, 120 live 9mm rounds, Pakistani identification cards, cell phones, and money were among the things seized. On Thursday, the chargesheet was formally delivered to the NIA Special Court in Ahmedabad.
13 persons are listed in the document, 10 of whom were arrested. There are still three more accused Pakistani nationals at large. It was revealed who the fugitives were: Hazi Salim, Akbar, and Karim Baksh. According to the NIA’s investigation, the individuals in question worked together to smuggle a shipment of sophisticated foreign weaponry into India with Hazi Salim, Akbar, and Karim Baksh.
The final goal was to send these weapons to Harun, an accused person who is now eluding law enforcement in India and is based in India. According to the plot, Harun planned to fund different terrorist organisations and criminal gangs active in Punjab and North India using illegally smuggled firearms and other contraband.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) learned from reliable sources that Hazi Salim, a drug lord from Pakistan, was attempting to smuggle significant quantities of illegal drugs and weapons through the Okha beach.
The ATS was informed that the above-mentioned cargo would enter Indian seas on board a fishing vessel by the name of ‘Al-Soheli’ on or around December 27 or 28, 2022, close to the Okha Jetty. The Okha Coast Guard was informed by the ATS, who then coordinated a joint operation that led to the boat’s confiscation.
On March 6, 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, made the decision to move the case to the National Investigation Agency due to its potential effects on national security and its ties to other countries. The NDPS Act, 1985, the Arms Act, 1959, and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967 were all invoked in the NIA’s registration of the case.
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