New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Delhi resident Harpreet Singh Talwar, also known as Kabir Talwar, in connection with its ongoing money laundering investigation linked to the seizure of nearly 3,000 kg of heroin at Gujarat’s Mundra Port in September 2021.
Talwar was arrested on June 24 following searches conducted at six locations in Delhi on June 24 and 25. He was later produced before the Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court, which remanded him to ED custody. He had earlier been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in August 2022 in connection with the same case.
The ED said Talwar is the prime accused in the money laundering investigation. Searches were carried out at his premises as well as those of his employees, business associates and linked entities.
The agency launched its investigation based on an FIR registered by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Indian Penal Code. The case pertains to the alleged import of heroin concealed inside consignments of semi-processed talc.
According to the ED, the NIA has already filed six chargesheets alleging that Talwar conspired with an international drug trafficking syndicate operating from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Dubai under the leadership of wanted accused Vitaysh Koser alias Raju Dubai, with the involvement of Pakistani ISI operatives and Afghan nationals.
Investigators alleged that proceeds worth nearly ₹74 crore generated from the illegal sale of narcotics were transferred through hawala channels to Afghanistan and used to finance terrorist activities.
The ED further claimed that Talwar received payments both in cash and in kind for facilitating the smuggling network. Besides cash derived from drug proceeds, he allegedly received imported goods such as dry fruits, dates, perfumes and other products without making payments. The agency estimates that he generated proceeds of crime amounting to ₹1.65 crore.
The investigation also found that Talwar allegedly controlled several firms registered in the names of employees and associates. One such entity, Magent India, allegedly received two consignments of semi-processed talc in which heroin was concealed.
According to the ED, Talwar invested the alleged proceeds of crime, along with his associates, in several nightclubs in Delhi, including Playboy Club, White Club Delhi, RSVP Night Club, Jasba Lounge, Velvet Room, Mnky Houz at Eros Hotel and Soho Club at the Ashoka Hotel. The agency alleged that after his arrest by the NIA, Talwar transferred shares in his business entities to associates Macheri Paramba Shamsuddeen and Suhail Ahmed, who continued making investments in hospitality businesses.
During the searches, the ED recovered documents related to these investments and seized four luxury vehicles worth nearly ₹2 crore. The vehicles include a Range Rover Sport 3.0, Mercedes-Benz CLE 300, Toyota Fortuner and Kia Seltos, all of which were allegedly registered in the names of benami entities controlled by Talwar.
The ED said the searches, seizures and arrest are part of a coordinated government effort to dismantle the nexus between drug trafficking, money laundering, hawala networks and terror financing.
