On Thursday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested a Delhi-based businessman, Kabir Talwar, in connection with the Mundra Port drug seizure case, in which about 3,000 kilogram of heroin was discovered. Kabir Talwar owns the Playboy nightclub in Delhi’s Samrat hotel. Prince Sharma, another businessman, was also taken into custody by the NIA as part of the inquiry.
According to NIA officials, Talwar, also known as Harpreet Talwar, is the Indian drug kingpin who allegedly imported drugs, distributed them to various peddlers, and then sent the money via hawala channels to individuals in Afghanistan who financed terrorist organisations.
Delhi based Kabir Talwar arrested by @NIA_India in the Mundra Port drug haul. He runs the playboy bar in Delhis samrat hotel!
— kamaljit sandhu (@kamaljitsandhu) August 25, 2022
two key accused involved in smuggling of Heroin through import consignments from Afghanistan using maritime route, have been arrested today. pic.twitter.com/CJvhu5R3dU
In an official statement, NIA said, “The arrested accused are a part of an international drug smuggling network involved in smuggling of large commercial quantities of heroin originating from Afghanistan into India. Heroin was being concealed in import consignments of material, such as semi-processed talc, bituminous coal, etc.”
“The accused were involved in the import of narcotics through fake/shell import companies and further facilitated its transport to Delhi-based Afghan nationals involved in purification and distribution of heroin in many states, including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and UP,” the statement further added.
In September 2021, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested six Afghan, one Uzbek, and three Indian citizens after seizing a consignment of heroin at Gujarat’s Mundra Port. The shipment had been packed and labelled as semi-processed Talc stones in Afghanistan before being carried by road by Hasan Hussain Limited, located in Kandahar, to the Bandar Abbas port in Iran.
Subsequently, the parcel was sent to Mundra Port on the pretext of being sent to the Aashi Trading Company in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. Initially, it was estimated that the confiscated heroin was valued between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000 crores. But after a careful examination, it was found that the heroin smuggled in from Afghanistan was actually worth Rs 9,000 crores.
In October 2021, the NIA took up the investigation. In March of this year, the agency submitted a charge sheet against 16 suspected people based on the investigations. The NIA discovered that the group had previously smuggled narcotics into the country. They were linked in a complaint filed by the DRI about the seizure of 20.25 kg in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, and 16.10 kg from a Delhi warehouse more than a year ago.
Who is Kabir Talwar alias Harpreet Talwar
Luxury cars, pics with SRK, Moose Wala: The life of Mundra Port drug bust accused Kabir Talwar.
— Kaushik Kanthecha (@Kaushikdd) August 25, 2022
The NIA arrested Delhi-based businessman Kabir Talwar in the #Mundraport drug haul case. The owner of seven pubs has a wide range of many luxury and expensive cars.#Drugs #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/EUAP4iLqQb
Kabir Talwar is a Delhi-based business magnate who presently runs some of the city’s most exclusive clubs and restaurants, including the Playboy club in the Samrat Hotel. The Playboy club is part of the Playboy Enterprise network of nightclubs, resorts, and periodicals, which was founded in 1960 in Chicago, USA.
Talwar stated in an interview with a magazine that his entrepreneurial career began when he was 16 years old. Talwar claims to be on the Forbes list and to own more than seven bars on his Instagram page, which stands deactivated right now. Talwar has posted photos of various luxury cars on social media. He has also posted images of himself with Punjabi performers such as Sidhu Moose Wala and Hardy Sandhu.
