India thanks Portugal for cooperation in extradition of wanted narco-terrorist Iqbal Singh

India has thanked the Portuguese government and its agencies for their support and cooperation in the extradition of wanted narco-terrorist Iqbal Singh alias Shera from Portugal. On Wednesday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Singh after successfully securing his extradition from Portugal. He was taken into custody by an NIA team at the Delhi airport immediately after he arrived from Portugal, to where he had absconded in 2020. "The Embassy of India in Lisbon thanks the Portuguese authorities for their support and cooperation in the extradition of Iqbal Singh to India," the Embassy of India in Lisbon posted on X on Wednesday.

In an official statement issued from Lisbon, the embassy said that the government of India has successfully extradited Iqbal Singh alias Shera from Portugal. Singh is accused of several serious offences, including drug trafficking and terror financing. He would now be subject to trial in India. "The Government of India thanks the Government of Portugal and its agencies for their co-operation and support in the successful extradition of Iqbal Singh to India," it said. "The extradition has been effected under the bilateral extradition agreement between India and Portugal, pursuant to the issuance of an Interpol Red notice. The extradition was closely coordinated between the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, National Investigation Agency (NIA), Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) and the Embassy of India in Lisbon, in cooperation with the relevant authorities in Portugal," the statement on X said. "The extradition of Iqbal Singh is an important step in the ongoing efforts of the Government of India to close down all avenues for criminal offenders, and bring them before courts in India to face trial and justice," it said. During the investigation in New Delhi, the NIA found Shera to be a key conspirator and handler of an India-based narco-terror module engaged in smuggling heroin from Pakistan. A native of Punjab's Amritsar, Shera had allegedly masterminded a conspiracy to smuggle narcotics from Pakistan into the border state, the probe agency said.