Photos have surfaced, exposing the nondescript London apartment that served as the clandestine headquarters for Arti Dhir, 59, and her younger husband, Kaval Raijada, 35.
This seemingly quiet couple recently received a 33-year prison sentence for orchestrating a colossal £700 million cocaine smuggling operation to Australia between 2019 and 2021.
The Criminal Enterprise:
Operating with a level of audacity reminiscent of a “Breaking Bad” storyline, the duo laundered money through a car wash, shuffled £3 million discreetly across various storage sites in London, and ingeniously concealed seven gold-plated bullion bars within a punchbag in their dilapidated flat.
Escaping extradition over an unrelated murder charge in India, the National Crime Agency disclosed that the couple spent at least four years meticulously planning their illicit venture.
The Revealed Hideaway:
Newly surfaced photographs provide a glimpse into the squalid London flat where the couple stored their illegal gains.
The visuals showcase a dingy red carpet, stained walls, and worn-out furniture.
Notably, thousands of pounds in £50 notes are visible inside a bedside table, while another image exposes the seven bullion bars laid out after their discovery.
Bold Criminality Amid Extradition Battle:
Despite their legal troubles, Dhir and Raijada shamelessly continued plotting drug smuggling operations even as they fought extradition from the UK to India, where they were suspected of orchestrating the murder of an adopted son to claim a £150,000 insurance payout.
NCA Senior Investigating Officer Piers Phillips emphasized, “We believe they were planning this operation for a long time, potentially as far back as 2015.”
Inconspicuous Neighbors:
Residents of Hanwell, the town where the couple resided, expressed shock at the revelation of their neighbors’ dual lives.
Describing the couple as “odd,” locals like Rose O’Sullivan recall casual interactions that portrayed Dhir as a seemingly normal person.
Dhir, a British citizen who arrived in the UK as a child seeking refuge from persecution, met Raijada in 2010 when he came from India for studies but ended up caring for Dhir’s elderly father.
They married three years later, embarking on a quest for wealth.
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