2. Arrested by NCB, 'drug kingpin' and Tamil film producer Jaffer Sadiq gets conditional bail from Delhi court

CHENNAI: A Delhi court has granted conditional bail to Tamil Nadu-based film producer and alleged international drug kingpin, AR Jaffer Sadiq who was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for masterminding smuggling of pseudoephedrine to Australia and New Zealand. Pseudoephedrine is a precursor chemical that is used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, a dangerous and highly addictive synthetic drug.

Jaffer, who was later sacked from the DMK, has spent over 120 days in prison since his arrest on March 9. NCB along with Delhi police on February 15, arrested three of Sadiq's accomplices after a raid at a firm purportedly owned by Sadiq, Aventa in Delhi's Basai Darapur area. About 50 kg of pseudoephedrine was also seized. NCB probe revealed that the gang smuggled about 3,500 kg of pseudoephedrine in 45 consignments in the last three years, hiding them in coconut powder and food products.

In his bail plea, Jaffer argued that NCB is relying on voice notes extracted from the phones of the co-accused and pointed out that only the word 'material' is used which need not refer to pseudoephedrine. "Voice notes can be easily manipulated by artificial intelligence," Jaffer's counsel argued.

After hearing the plea on July 10, Special Judge Sudhir Kumar Sirohi directed Sadiq to furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties of the same amount.

Further, Sadiq has been directed to deposit his passport in court during the bail period and if he does not possess a passport, he is required to file an affidavit stating the same. A Look Out Circular (LOC) is to be opened against his name and he is not allowed to travel outside India.

Sadiq has been directed to sign at the NCB office on the first Monday of every month until trial is completed and in case of a criminal case registered against the accused while on bail, it would be open to NCB to seek cancellation of bail, the court noted.