Latest news with #NavinChichkar
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Indian drug kingpin entered Malaysia on tourist visa, says IGP
Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said investigations are being held to determine if the man had a local network or was involved with gangs in Malaysia. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain has confirmed the arrest of an Indian national, allegedly the mastermind of a transnational drug ring in Kuala Lumpur, saying the man had entered Malaysia on a tourist visa. Razarudin said the 30-year-old drug kingpin was 'hiding' in a hotel in the city centre and was arrested at 1.35am on May 13 following a raid by Bukit Aman officers. He added that the man had entered the country earlier this year on a tourist pass to evade authorities, Bernama reported. 'Initial investigations found that the suspect was not involved in any drug distribution in Malaysia. However, further investigations are being held to determine if he had a local network or was involved with gangs here,' said the IGP. He added that the man was deported to India at 6.54pm on Tuesday. On Thursday, the Hindustan Times reported that Navin Chichkar was arrested in Malaysia before being deported and placed in the custody of India's Narcotics Control Bureau. Navin was said to be heading the transnational drug trafficking syndicate while in Malaysia, overseeing the shipment of cocaine from the US to India, and further distribution domestically and internationally. He allegedly absconded to Thailand before moving to Malaysia while the Interpol had issued a Red Notice for him.
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Head of transnational drug ring nabbed, deported to India, says report
In total, India's Narcotics Control Bureau has confiscated 11.7kg of cocaine, 4.9kg of cannabis and 5.5kg of cannabis-based gummies from suspected syndicate members. (Envato Elements pic) PETALING JAYA : The alleged mastermind of a transnational drug trafficking syndicate has been arrested in Malaysia and deported to India, says a report. The Hindustan Times reported that Navin Chichkar, who allegedly headed the syndicate while in Malaysia, is now in the custody of India's Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Mumbai. A Mumbai court has placed him under NCB remand. Navin's arrest reportedly followed a joint operation involving Interpol, India's Central Bureau of Investigation and Malaysian enforcement authorities. The NCB is said to have been tracking the suspect for several years, while Interpol recently issued a Red Notice following a request by the agency. Navin was first linked to a drug trafficking case in 2021 but allegedly absconded. He then surfaced in Thailand before moving to Malaysia, where he was recently located and detained. In January, the NCB seized 200gm of cocaine concealed in a projector being flown to Australia via a private courier. The bust led investigators to a larger cache of narcotics allegedly linked to the same network. In total, the agency has so far confiscated 11.7kg of cocaine, 4.9kg of cannabis and 5.5kg of cannabis-based gummies from suspected syndicate members. The NCB's probe is said to have uncovered an elaborate drug trafficking route involving the shipment of cocaine from the US to India, and further distribution domestically and internationally. Customs agents and operators of the hawala system, an informal value transfer system based on the performance and honour of a huge network of money brokers, are said to be involved in the syndicate. 'Navin's interrogation is likely to reveal more details of his operations, including the source of drugs in the US,' the Hindustan Times quoted an NCB source as saying. 'Financial investigations have already led to the identification of assets, including properties and bank accounts in Thailand. Efforts are under way for their attachment,' the official added. Eight people have been arrested so far in connection with the case. FMT has reached out to Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain for comment.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Drug kingpin Navin Chichkar deported from Malaysia
MUMBAI: Navin Chichkar, the alleged kingpin of a drug trafficking syndicate operating from Malaysia, has been deported from Malaysia and is now in the custody of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Mumbai. He was recently deported in an operation involving several authorities, including Interpol and the Central Bureau of Investigation. Since January, the NCB has seized from alleged members of the syndicate 11.7 kg of cocaine and 10.4 kg of cannabis and cannabis gummies. Based on an NCB request, Interpol recently issued a Red Corner Notice against Chichkar, which led to his deportation to India. Chichkar first came under the NCB scanner in 2021 in connection with a case of LSD trafficking but he was absconding. He later surfaced in Thailand and was recently located in Malaysia, where he was detained for deportation. A city court on Tuesday remanded Chichkar to the custody of the NCB. Chichkar has a post-graduate degree in psychology from the United Kingdom, according to agency sources. Last month, his father, a local builder, died by suicide in Navi Mumbai. The NCB resumed the hunt for the drug trafficker with the seizure of 200 grams of cocaine concealed in a projector being shipped by air through a private courier to Australia on January 21, agency sources said. Following a bottom–to-top approach during the investigation, the NCB team seized more narcotics in a subsequent operation. This included 11.54 kg of cocaine, 4.9 kg of cannabis and 5.5 kg of cannabis gummies allegedly from the home of a syndicate member in Navi Mumbai, the sources said. The NCB's probe revealed the involvement of the syndicate, which trafficked cocaine from the United States to India, and its further distribution within and outside India, the sources added. The probe revealed the involvement of clearing house agents and hawala operators. So far, the NCB has arrested eight individuals linked to the syndicate. The syndicate was active for at least a year and multiple consignments of cocaine via air cargo were allegedly received in Mumbai during this time, the sources said. 'Chichkar's interrogation is likely to reveal more details of his operations including the source of drugs in the US,' a NCB source said. 'Financial investigation in the case has already led to identification of assets including properties and bank accounts in Thailand. Efforts are underway for their attachment,' the NCB source added. In a separate case, earlier this month, the NCB had secured the deportation of an accused from the United Arab Emirates, who was involved in a drug trafficking case in Bengaluru.
