The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Iqbal Singh, alias Shera, a narco-terrorist linked to the Hizbul Mujahideen, upon his extradition from Portugal. Singh, who had been on the run since 2020, is accused of masterminding a drug trafficking network that smuggled heroin into Punjab, India, and funneled the proceeds to support terrorist activities in Pakistan and Kashmir. The NIA's investigation revealed that Singh was a key conspirator in a Pakistan-backed narco-terror network, coordinating the trafficking of narcotics and transferring funds through hawala networks. He had formed a gang that operated in Punjab, collecting drug sale proceeds and transferring them to Hizbul Mujahideen operatives. A non-bailable warrant was issued against him in October 2020, and an Interpol notice for his arrest followed in June 2021. The NIA intensified its efforts to dismantle the network after taking over the case from Punjab Police, which had initially registered the investigation following the arrest of another Hizbul Mujahideen operative.