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Narcotics module busted in Kupwara: 5 cops, political activist among 17 held
The busting of this module has yet again exposed the direct involvement of Pakistan-based terrorist handlers in pumping narcotics into Kashmir Valley, aiming to destroy the Kashmiri youth, the J&K police said.
A major drug racket was busted in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, with the arrest of 17 people, including five policemen and a senior youth politician on Friday. Around 2kg of narcotics was also seized.
Special police officers (SPOs) Haroon Rasheed Bhat, Irshad Ahmed Khan, Sajad Ahmad Bhat, Zahid Maqbool Dar, constable Abdul Majeed Bhat , and political activist Ishfaq Habib Khan were among those arrested.
Kupwara senior superintendent of police Yougal Manhas said, “Acting on a tip-off, one Mohammad Waseem Najar --- a poultry shop owner and resident of Darzipura, Kupwara, was arrested after drugs were seized from his house. Admitting that he was part of a major module, Najar disclosed the names of some of his associates. Sixteen people were arrested in subsequent raids.”
Others who were arrested include one Tahir Ahmed Malik of Kulgam, Khursheed Ahmed Khan, a dry fruits shopkeeper and his son Imtiyaz Khan, Tamheed Ahmed Khan of Kupwara , Pakistan-based terrorist handler Roman Mushtaq Bhat of Baramulla, Asif Rashid Hajam of Kupwara, Abid Ali Bhat of Kupwara, contractor Tanveer Ahmad Wani of Kupwara, Nadeem Javed of Baramulla and Tahir Ahmad Khan of Baramulla were arrested by different teams of the Kupwara police station.
“The busting of this module has yet again exposed the direct involvement of Pakistan-based terrorist handlers in pumping narcotics into Kashmir Valley, aiming to destroy the Kashmiri youth,” the SSP said.
One Shakir Ali Khan, a Pakistan-based terrorist handler, originally hailing from Keran (Kupwara), was found to be supplying narcotics to his son, Tahmeed Khan on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC). Two packets of a heroin-like substance, weighing nearly 2 kg, was seized from Tahmeed’s house. Tahmeed used to transport the contraband to Kupwara to sell it to his now-arrested associates to earn money.
“Shakir Ali had first crossed the LoC in the early 1990s to join terrorist ranks. After obtaining training in illegal arms and ammunition, he infiltrated back and remained one of the top active terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) for quite some time in Keran, the SSP said, adding that after coming in the radar of security agencies he had crossed the LOC again and was now one of the top terrorist handlers for the outfit.
During the probe, cops learnt that at least 5 kg narcotics was smuggled in from Pakistan over the last three months, of which 2kg was recovered from Tahmeed’s house, 1kg was peddled among peddlers and addicts and around 2kg remains untraced.
This year, 85 cases have been registered against 161 persons in the district. As many as 33 people involved in narcotics smuggling have been detained and lodged in different jails under the PSA Act, police said.
