Top drug syndicate operative Virender Baisoya, who is accused of the Rs 6,000-crore drug transaction from Dubai to India, has been brought back to India from Dubai, officials said yesterday. His return is seen as a major breakthrough in the fight against international drug trafficking networks in India and abroad.
Baisoya was arrested in Dubai and deported to India after efforts by the Government of India to secure his return. The accused was brought back on an Air India flight, flight number 4310, officials said. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had issued a Red Corner Notice against him in connection with the case.
The development is crucial, as Baisoya is alleged to have been at the core of a network of drug trafficking that has international links. His alleged involvement in the Pune case had made him a wanted accused, and his presence outside India had been a challenge for investigators seeking to investigate him and to locate the financial and logistical networks associated with the alleged syndicate.
The Rs 6,000-crore Pune drug case is one of the major narcotics investigations that has brought into focus the scale and sophistication of drug trafficking operations. The investigators have been looking at illegal substances and financial transactions and connections between people involved in the alleged network. The return of such an important accused could provide investigators with more information about the organisation and functioning of the syndicate.
Baisoya's alleged links with Sandeep Dhuniya, who has been described as the prime accused in a huge Delhi Police drug case, have also been highlighted. Dhuniya is linked with 13,000 drug-related cases, officials said. He also escaped from Dubai and settled down in Pakistan.
The alleged links between Baisoya and Dhuniya have added another international dimension to the investigations. Law enforcement agencies have moved more toward networks in which suspected traffickers operate across many countries, using overseas locations to coordinate activities, move money and escape arrest.
Baisoya's Red Corner Notice was one of the international efforts to locate and arrest him. Such notices are issued to get the assistance of law enforcement authorities in other countries and to arrest them in line with the laws of the country in which they are found.
His deportation from Dubai brings Baisoya to the fore of Indian investigators. Now authorities will question him about his alleged role in the Pune drug case and his connection with other suspected members of the network. His interview is likely to also be useful to investigators looking into the larger structure of the alleged drug network.
The Indian Government hailed the move as one of the biggest successes achieved in the fight against drug trafficking. The return of the accused who is believed to be in other countries shows that international cooperation is needed for solving the problem of organised narcotics networks.
The development also comes at a time when overseas jurisdictions are being used by wanted accused in big drug cases. The investigating agencies are looking abroad for suspects to track, and for financial networks to trace the people who are wanted back to India.
Baisoya's presence in India is significant for investigators and the Pune drug case will be the next stage in terms of the investigation. Authorities will now have the chance to investigate his alleged role in the network directly and see that his testimony can link into further links in the network. The case will be under investigation as an investigation is conducted to find all those involved and get to the bottom of the drug trafficking operation.
His return is a major step forward for investigators but the legal process will now take its course. Baisoya will be investigated as the investigation progresses by those authorities and courts.
The latest development underlines the ever-more international nature of India’s fight against drugs, as law enforcement has been working together with countries to track drug smugglers who are alleged to be operating beyond India’s borders. Baisoya’s deportation from Dubai is therefore likely to be watched closely in the investigation into the Rs 6,000-crore Pune drug case and its network.
