Ex-NSG commando, 26/11 veteran arrested in Rajasthan for drug trafficking

A former National Security Guard (NSG) commando has been arrested for running a drug trafficking network.

Bajrang Singh, who took part in the 26/11 anti-terror operations in Mumbai, has now been declared the kingpin of a ganja smuggling racket by the Rajasthan Police. He was caught on Wednesday (October 1) night in Churu.

Singh’s story is a stark reminder of how a soldier once tasked with defending the nation could descend into criminal networks like drug smuggling.

Also Read: Yet another Tamil actor in police net in drug-trafficking case

Operation Gaanjaney

According to Inspector General of Police Vikas Kumar, Singh was involved in transporting ganja from Telangana and Odisha into Rajasthan, and was apprehended with 200 kg of the banned drug.

A resident of Sikar district, he had been on the police radar for his criminal activities and carried a bounty of Rs 25,000.

His arrest followed a two-month-long hunt under ‘Operation Gaanjaney,’ carried out jointly by the state’s Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF).

Spent 7 years in NSG

Singh left school after Class 10, but his six-foot frame and fitness won him a place in the Border Security Force (BSF).

Serving in Punjab, Assam, Rajasthan, Odisha, and West Bengal, he guarded India’s borders and fought Maoists before being inducted into the NSG, the country’s elite counter-terrorism unit.

He spent seven years as a commando at the NSG, and even took part in the 26/11 anti-terror operation in 2008.

Also Read: NCB arrests ex-DMK functionary Jaffer Sadiq for drug smuggling

Entry into politics, crime

In 2021, Singh returned to his village in Rajasthan and entered politics, even fielding his wife in local village elections. It was during this period that he came into contact with people with criminal links.

One such associate introduced him to the lucrative prospects of the ganja trade. Using his knowledge about Odisha and experience from his BSF days, he tapped into his old contacts in Odisha and Telangana and befriended some people involved in such crimes to establish a smuggling network.

Within a year, he rose to head a major syndicate. Unlike small-time peddlers, Singh operated on a large scale, moving quintals of ganja across state borders. Multiple cases were filed against him, including in his home district after huge consignments were seized.

According to a NDTV report, he was arrested in 2023 near Hyderabad with two quintals of ganja.

Also Read: Gujarat struggles to block narcotics inflow through porous coastline

Hunt for the kingpin

For two months, the ATS and ANTF teams pursued leads to trace the masterminds of the ganja racket. Singh’s name surfaced much later, despite his persistent efforts to hide his identity.

Despite being pursued for months, Singh evaded capture by using fake IDs and hiding in remote villages.

Investigators finally tracked him down through his cook, who unknowingly provided leads that pointed the police to Churu’s Ratangarh.

After days of surveillance, officers caught Singh while he was riding a motorcycle but waited to move, given the risks of confronting a trained commando. They instead tailed him to his hideout and executed a carefully-planned raid.

“This operation was the result of weeks of planning and intelligence sharing. The arrest of a hardened operative like Bajrang is a major breakthrough in dismantling the terror-narcotics nexus in Rajasthan,” said IGP Kumar.