A Pune court on Sunday remanded alleged drug kingpin Virender Singh Basoya, recently extradited from the UAE, to Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) custody till August 21.
His lawyer opposed the plea and sought four days’ custody. The NCB’s Mumbai unit later took over the probe and identified Basoya as the alleged mastermind who coordinated the syndicate from abroad and arranged for mephedrone consignments to be smuggled out of India. His name also surfaced in a separate Delhi Police Special Cell case involving international cocaine trafficking.
It said about 9,000 kg of mephedrone had been seized in NCB and police operations, including substantial recoveries in Pune’s Vishrantwadi and Delhi. The court granted custody till August 21. NCB deputy director general (operations) Neeraj Gupta said Basoya fled to Dubai a day after Pune police registered a case against him in 2024.
Seeking six days’ custody, the prosecution said Basoya had stayed abroad for a prolonged period and had emerged as a key figure in several drug-related cases. The prosecution said Basoya needed to be questioned about the roles of other accused and that efforts were underway to trace remaining suspects. Gupta described him as a “big kingpin” and said an Interpol Red Notice was issued against him in November 2025.
He was produced before the Pune court amid heavy security. A Delhi court on Friday granted the NCB a three-day transit remand of Basoya, wanted in connection with a multi-crore drug haul.
