For over two years, alleged drug trafficker Virender Singh Basoya evaded Indian authorities while based in Dubai following a large seizure in Pune. His time abroad ended on Friday when he was returned to India and taken into custody upon arrival at Delhi airport. The Narcotics Control Bureau identified him as a central figure in several major narcotics cases. His repatriation resulted from extended collaboration between Indian and UAE officials, supported by an INTERPOL Red Notice issued in November 2025. The bureau will now request transit remand to move him to Pune for further proceedings linked to the original case. In that matter, authorities seized 1,837 kilograms of mephedrone valued at roughly 6,000 crore rupees. Basoya left for Dubai shortly after the February 2024 operation. He also faces charges in a separate Delhi Police case from October 2024 involving over 1,300 kilograms of various drugs. A chargesheet has been submitted in the Pune investigation. The Red Notice enabled his arrest in the UAE in June 2026. Subsequent return involved the Home Ministry, External Affairs Ministry, NCB and the Indian mission in Abu Dhabi under the bilateral extradition treaty. Interrogation also referenced an older 2009 Directorate of Revenue Intelligence case on ketamine smuggling that remains before the courts. Basoya’s case highlights expanding India-UAE efforts against fugitives in narcotics and other serious crimes. The 1999 extradition agreement has supported recent actions targeting economic offenders and traffickers. Home Minister Amit Shah called the return a milestone in the government’s strict policy against drug networks.
