Gujarat murders, Australian drugs: The fall of an Indian-origin couple’s empire

India’s extradition request was rejected in 2019.

New Delhi:

Story and critically acclaimed TV series "Ozark, an Indian couple living in the UK were each sentenced to 33 years in prison for transnational crimes. Arti Dhir, 59, and Kavaljitsinh Raijada, 35, from Ealing, west London, were at the center of a multi-million pound drug trafficking operation that spanned continents , which echoes the intricate web of deception depicted in the popular crime drama.

In May 2021, the National Crime Agency (NCA) uncovered an elaborate conspiracy after the Australian Border Force intercepted more than half a ton of cocaine worth up to £57 million (approximately Rs. 600 crore) as it arrived in Sydney. Cleverly concealed inside a metal tool box, the cargo was traced to a seemingly ordinary couple who had set up a front company called Viefly Freight Services to facilitate their drug smuggling network.

cocaine caper

The couple’s front company transported the drugs from the UK on commercial flights, the court heard. When authorities opened the metal tool box, they discovered a staggering 514 kilograms of cocaine. Drug prices in Australia are much higher than in the UK, with the street value of the illegal goods estimated at £57 million.

Deal and Lejada have strongly denied allegations of cocaine exporting to Australia and money laundering. However, a jury at Southwark Crown Court found them guilty of 12 export charges and 18 money laundering charges.

Uncover the web of deception

The NCA linked leads to the convicted couple. Fingerprints on the plastic packaging of the toolbox and the receipt found at Raijada’s residence were key evidence linking them to the crime. The agency revealed the pair orchestrated 37 shipments to Australia since June 2019, 22 of which were decoys and 15 contained cocaine.

Dhir and Raijada, who both previously worked for a flight services company at Heathrow Airport, used their insider knowledge of the airport’s cargo procedures to cover up their illegal activities. However, the intricate plan began to unravel when the couple were arrested at their address in Hanwell on June 21, 2021, and a large amount of cash and gold-plated silver bars were discovered.

Fund tracking and failsafe

An investigation last February revealed the extent of the couple’s hidden wealth. NCA officers discovered nearly £3 million in cash hidden in boxes and suitcases in a storage room in west London.

Financial investigations revealed that despite claiming slim profits, the couple bought a flat in Ealing for £800,000 (approximately Rs 8.5 crore) and a Land Rover for £62,000. They deposited nearly £740,000 in cash into 22 different bank accounts since 2019, raising suspicions of large-scale money laundering.

NCA senior investigating officer Piers Phillips said: “Arti Dhir and Kavaljitsinh Raijada used their insider knowledge of the air cargo industry to traffic cocaine worth tens of millions of pounds from the UK to Australia, where they knew it could be maximally Maximize income,” news agency PTI quoted.

murder charges and legal battle

The couple faces an extradition request from India for the alleged murder of their adopted son Gopal Sejani in Gujarat. The tragic fate of the 11-year-old boy was revealed in February 2017, with Indian police alleging a sinister plot involving adoption, insurance and a kidnapping to obtain insurance money.

The accused traveled to Gujarat in 2015 to adopt Gopal and promised the young boy a better life in London. However, Gopal was kidnapped, stabbed and abandoned on the roadside on February 8, 2017.

The couple reportedly placed an advert in a local newspaper to attract prospective parents by promising to adopt a child and bring them to live in London. Gopal, a farm boy who lives with his sister and her husband, becomes the target of their plan. Indian police said Dil and Raijada had ulterior motives besides providing Gopal with a place to stay.

India’s extradition request was rejected in 2019, followed by an unsuccessful appeal to London’s High Court in 2020.