Politician, cops operating Pak-sponsored narco-terror module in north Kashmir of J&K [details]

A day after smashing a module of pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terrorists, Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday busted one of the biggest narco-terrorism modules in North Kashmir by arresting seventeen persons including five cops of local police and one politician.

"In one of its biggest successes against drug smuggling and peddling in the district, police arrested 17 persons, including five policemen, a political activist, a contractor, and a shopkeeper from different areas of the districts of Kupwara and Baramulla, unearthing another narcotics smuggling module originating from Pakistan," a police spokesman said.

He said while working relentlessly to identify and act against the drug peddlers active in the north Kashmir district, police zeroed in on some drug peddlers active in Kupwara town and its adjoining areas.

On a tip-off Mohammad Waseem Najar – a poultry shop owner, and resident of Darzipura, Kupwara was arrested with some quantity of narcotics from his residential house", police said.

"After preliminary investigations, Waseem admitted to being a part of a big group of drug peddlers and disclosed names of some of his associates belonging to this district as well as Uri area of district Baramulla involved in this illegal trade.", police said.

Subsequent raids were conducted at various places across the district and 16 more persons including five cops of Jammu and Kashmir Police and one politician were arrested. The son of a Pakistan-based terrorist was also part of this module which was supplying narcotics from across the Line of Control (LoC) to this side of Kashmir.

Son of a Pakistan-based terrorist was the kingpin of this narco-terrorism module

According to police Pakistan's direct involvement in pumping drugs on this side of LoC has been established after busting of this module.

"The busting of this drug smuggling and peddling module has yet again exposed the direct involvement of Pakistan-based handlers in pumping into Kashmir Valley narcotics aimed to destroy Kashmiri youth", police said.

In this particular case, one Shakir Ali Khan, a Pakistan-based terrorist, hailing from the Keran area of North Kashmir, has surfaced to be the main supplier of narcotics to his son Tahmeed Khan on this side of LoC.

"On Tahmeed's confession and disclosure, two packets weighing close to two kilograms of Heroin have also been recovered from his house. Tahmeed used to transport it to Kupwara to sell it among his other arrested associates to earn huge money", police said.

Tahmeed's father Shakir Ali Khan first crossed LoC in the early 1990s to join terror ranks. After obtaining training in illegal arms and ammunition, Shakir infiltrated back and remained one of the top active terrorists of Hizbul Mujahadeen for quite some time in the Keran area of the Kupwara sector.

"Feeling the heat from security forces, Shakir again crossed over LoC and exfiltrated to Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and is now a top terror handler also involved in pushing into Kashmir Valley, arms, ammunition, and narcotics", police said.

• Arrested cops have been identified as Special Police officers (SPOs) Haroon Rasheed Bhat, Irshad Ahmed Khan, Sajad Ahmad Bhat, Zahid Maqbool Dar, and Constable Abdul Majeed Bhat. A political activist Ishfaq Habib Khan was also among the arrested persons.

Campaign against narco-terrorism intensified in Kashmir Valley

According to police campaign against narco-terrorism has been intensified in J&K in general and Kashmir Valley in particular.

During the current year, 85 cases have been registered against 161 persons in the Kupwara district only. 33 people involved in narcotics smuggling have been detained and lodged in different jails under PSA (PIT-NDPS Act).

In today's case FIR No.283/2022 of Police Station Kupwara is being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by DySP (Prob) Khadim Hussain.

It surfaced during the investigation that a quantity of about 5.0 Kg valued at Rs five-crores in the market has been smuggled in from Pakistan by the head of this module Tahmeed Khan during the last three months. Out of these five kilograms of narcotics, about two kilograms have been recovered in the instant case, about one kg has been peddled among drug peddlers and addicts and about two kilograms remain to be traced.