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J&K Police busts narco-terror module, 2 held, narcotics worth ₹65 crore seized
Huge quantities of narcotics and arms and ammunition have been recovered from their possession
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday claimed to have busted a narco-terror module with the arrest of two terrorist associates, who were in close contact with their Pakistan-based handlers, and the seizure of narcotic substance worth ₹65 crore in Kupwara district.
Officials said that police and the army launched a joint operation after receiving inputs about the delivery of a consignment at Kralpora in Kupwara.
“We got information about a narco-terror smuggling module and a joint operation was executed by Indian Army’s 17 Bihar and Kupwara police which led to arrest of two smugglers,” said Kupwara senior superintendent of police, Ambarkar Shriram Dinkar.
The officer said that huge quantities of narcotics and arms and ammunition have been recovered from their possession.
He said the arrested duo have been identified as Manzoor Ahmad Lone and Ghulam Mohammand Lone, both residents of the Lachipora area of Bijhama in neighbouring Baramulla district.
Narcotics, weighing 13.5 kg and having an estimated value of ₹65 crore, were seized from them, he added.
Both Kupwara and Baramulla are frontier districts sharing Line of Control with Pakistan occupied Kashmir(PoK).
“It is a big success. The two were in contact with their handlers in Pakistan. We suspect a link of Lashkar-e-Taiba,” he said.
“The duo was working in close tandem with PoK based terrorist handlers and were involved in drug trade and supply of weapons to terrorists operating in the valley,” the officer said.
A case under Sections 8/21 of the NDPS Act, Section 7/25 of the IA Act and Sections 13, 18,39 of the UAPA was registered at Kralpora police station.
The officer said that they have also taken the driver of the vehicle in which the duo was travelling into custody. “But his role so far has not been established in the crime,” he said.
