On Saturday, 3rd October, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the deportation of narco-trafficking kingpin Navpreet Singh from Turkey to India, calling it a “historic milestone”. Singh, who was using the fake identity of Navab Virk and had obtained Turkish citizenship under that name, has now been brought back to India and put behind bars in connection with drug trafficking and other criminal cases.
Amit Shah on Singh’s deportation
Modi govt has achieved a historic milestone by securing the deportation of hardened narco-trafficking kingpin Navpreet Singh from Türkiye.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 3, 2026
Obtaining Turkish citizenship under the fake identity of Navab Virk, he had continued to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine to India from…
Announcing the development in a post on X, Shah said Indian agencies tracked Singh despite his use of a fake identity and worked to uncover his real identity and location.
“Modi govt has achieved a historic milestone by securing the deportation of hardened narco-trafficking kingpin Navpreet Singh from Turkey,” Shah said.
He added, “Obtaining Turkish citizenship under the fake identity of Navab Virk, he 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.”
Shah further said, “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.”
He also said the Modi government is committed to “destroy every narco-cartel” before December 2029.
Singh’s links to international drug network
According to officials, Singh was running an international narcotics network with links across India, Afghanistan and Turkey. He is wanted in cases involving the Punjab and Delhi Police.
Investigators found that Singh was working with his cousin Prabhdeep Singh, who had an operational link in India. The network was involved in moving large consignments of heroin and synthetic drugs from Afghanistan into India.
Although Singh was living in Turkey under the identity of Navab Virk, Indian security and law enforcement agencies traced his real identity and location. They then coordinated with Turkish authorities to secure his deportation.
Investigation began in 2021
The probe into the network started in 2021 after Rizwan Kashmiri was arrested in South Delhi. The investigation helped agencies uncover a wider drug network spread across several states and involving Afghan nationals.
The investigation later led to a major heroin seizure in Faridabad. Officials recovered 166 kg of heroin from one vehicle and another 115 kg from a second vehicle.
Singh brought back to India
Following the deportation, Singh was brought to India and taken into custody. He faces cases linked to transnational drug trafficking, criminal conspiracy and organised crime.
Singh is also the second drug kingpin to be deported from Turkey in recent months. Earlier, Salim Dola, a key aide of wanted terrorist and underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim, was deported from the country.
The deportation of Singh marks a major development in the investigation into the international narcotics network and was described by Amit Shah as a “historic milestone” for Indian agencies.
