E-Paper
Poonch narco-terror case: Key accused nabbed from Himachal’s Mandi
On May 30, four individuals had attempted to smuggle drugs and explosives into India from across the border fence at Poonch as part of a narco-terror module
State Investigation Agency (SIA) sleuths on Friday arrested Mohammad Iqbal, a key accused of a narco-terror module from Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, said officials.
Iqbal hails from Karmara village along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district.
On May 30, four individuals had attempted to smuggle drugs and explosives into India from across the border fence at Poonch in a narco-terror module.
The accused were intercepted by Sikh Light Infantry and a soldier and terrorist had sustained injuries in the ensuing gunfire.
“The accused were apprehended with war like stores of arms, ammunition, improvised explosive devices (IED) and heroin,” officials said.
On July 6, the case was transferred to the SIA, Jammu.
“Upon investigation, it was found that from the group of four persons, Iqbal had absconded from the spot,” they added.
“After technical surveillance and human intelligence, it was ascertained that Iqbal was hiding in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. An SIA team, led by inspector Lakhvir, was sent and Iqbal was apprehended,” they said.
On August 19, the handler of the group, Mohammad Javed, who was absconding, was arrested by SIA in an operation in Delhi. This also led to the arrest of co-conspirator Mohammad Liyaqat on August 25 from Poonch.
Investigation has so far revealed the role of handlers operating this narco-terror module from foreign countries. Officials said that six arrests have been made and investigations were ongoing.
