Enforcement Directorate
In April 2025, Navin’s father, builder Gurunath Chichkar (50), died by suicide after shooting himself in his office at Belapur, citing mental stress and harassment caused by repeated summons from NCB and police for the involvement of his two sons in the drug case. He is suspected of generating proceeds through the sale of cocaine, hydroponic cannabis, LSD and cannabis edibles, and transferring funds abroad through hawala channels and cryptocurrencies. ED’s probe, based on Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Navi Mumbai Police Anti-Narcotics Cell cases, covers Navin’s financial transactions and associates. Later, his brother Dheeraj was also arrested in the case after his return to India from Malaysia.
Navin was deported from Malaysia and arrested in May last year.
During the investigation, ED allegedly found cryptocurrency investments and said drug proceeds were deposited with hawala operators, who paid Chichkar in USDT, a US dollar-pegged stablecoin, or Thai baht. Wednesday’s ED searches were aimed at tracing proceeds of crime and their further diversion/layering. The investigation also indicated a transnational syndicate trafficking cocaine from the US for distribution in India and abroad, with a clearing house agent and hawala operators involved.