Delhi Court Grants 10-Day Custody Of Alleged Drug Trafficker Navpreet Singh

A Delhi court on Saturday sent alleged international narcotics trafficking accused Navpreet Singh to 10 days of police custody after India deported him from Türkiye.

Singh appeared before the Rouse Avenue Court following his return to India in connection with a major drug trafficking case.

Police sought custodial interrogation to investigate the alleged international narcotics network, identify the roles of other accused and trace its wider operations.

The defence opposed the request, arguing that investigators had already recorded Singh’s statement and did not need further custodial interrogation.

Advocate Asgar Khan, who represented Singh, said the defence opposed the police remand plea, but the court granted custody for 10 days.

Investigators allege that Singh operated as a key handler of a drug network spanning Afghanistan, India and Türkiye. They accuse him of facilitating the movement of heroin and methamphetamine from Afghanistan to India.

Singh allegedly lived in Türkiye under the identity of Navab Virk and obtained Turkish citizenship using that identity, according to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Indian agencies tracked him and secured his deportation to India.

Singh’s name surfaced in connection with a major Delhi narcotics case registered in 2021, involving the seizure of around 355.5 kg of heroin, according to the investigation cited in the case.

Shah described Singh’s deportation as a ‘historic milestone’ and congratulated the agencies involved. He said the government remained committed to destroying every narco-cartel before December 2029.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said the deportation formed part of efforts to bring fugitives accused in serious criminal cases back to India.

The investigation against Singh and other accused remains underway.

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