After Naxal Offensive, Amit Shah’s Anti-Narco-Terror Drive Scores Big As NIA Seizes Punjab Property | Exclusive Details

Last Updated:June 16, 2026, 16:51 IST

By seizing the Amritsar estate, the NIA aims to break the financial back of this cross-border apparatus

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has clamped down heavily on a sophisticated transnational narco-terror pipeline feeding the proscribed terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), attaching a residential property in Amritsar, Punjab. The property is registered under the name of the father of Ankush Kapoor, identified by investigators as the central, India-based mastermind responsible for managing the syndicate’s on-ground logistics. This major enforcement action represents a vital breakthrough in a broader national crackdown championed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Following massive administrative offensives against left-wing extremism, the central government has reoriented its premier security agencies to systematically dismantle narco-terror networks, viewing the disruption of financial arteries as paramount to preserving internal security.

The anti-terror federal agency has meticulously mapped the footprints of this sprawling international network, which spans multiple borders, including Italy, Australia, Iran, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan. According to investigators, the core conspiracy is built upon a self-sustaining cycle where massive quantities of heroin and chemical precursors are smuggled into India from Pakistan through the strategic Gujarat-Punjab transit route. Far from being a routine drug trafficking operation, the NIA has explicitly established that this is a deliberate, highly structured strategy orchestrated by LeT. The outfit exploits the exorbitant profits generated from narcotics sales to build an uninterrupted stream of illicit funds, intentionally designed to bankroll anti-India operations and destabilise the social fabric of Punjab.

Operationally, the network is masterminded by a triumvirate coordinating across continents: Simranjit Singh Sandhu based in Italy, Tanveer Singh Bedi in Australia, and Ankush Kapoor handling operations within India. Intelligence sources indicate that these key figures effectively weaponised international diaspora connections and clandestine financial corridors to execute their plans. The cross-border supply chain begins in Pakistan, where a handler known as Tariq, alias Bhaijaan, manages the sourcing and maritime dispatch of the contraband. Once the shipments successfully infiltrate Indian territory, Kapoor allegedly assumes control of the domestic network. Operating primarily out of Amritsar, Kapoor oversaw the processing, local storage, and distribution of the shipments, working closely with key associates such as Sukhbir Singh, alias Happy. Previous law enforcement raids connected to this ring have yielded substantial recoveries of high-grade heroin, processing equipment, and chemical precursors.

The investigation has shed light on the sophisticated money-laundering mechanics keeping the network afloat. Once the narcotics are distributed and sold across Punjab and neighbouring regions, the generated cash is funnelled back into the terror infrastructure. The syndicate relies heavily on a complex web of international hawala channels and informal financial networks operating through traditional transit hubs like the UAE, Thailand, and Iran. These illegal money transfers ensure that capital flows smoothly back to handlers and active terror operatives both in India and overseas. By seizing the Amritsar estate, the NIA aims to break the financial back of this cross-border apparatus, signal a zero-tolerance approach towards state-sponsored narco-terrorism, and cripple the financial lifelines supporting LeT’s regional operations.

About the Author

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

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