Waris Fayaz
Srinagar, Feb 24 : The Jammu and Kashmir police here on Friday said that in a major breakthrough against drug suppliers in Kupwara district, two hardcore narcotic smugglers were arrested, while as around 4.5kg of heroin like substance were recovered from their possession, even as the officials said, both the smugglers were having close contact with handlers across the LoC in this illicit trade.
A senior police official said that based on specific inputs generated by them, five packets of heroin-like narcotics weighing around 4.588 Kilograms were recovered in two separate cases from Karnah area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara.
He said, that one suspect namely Farooq Ahmad Shah son of Raqeeb Hussain Shah a resident of Panjatara Karnah was picked up for questioning in a case FIR No.17/2023 U/S 8/21-29 NDPS Act registered in Police Station Karnah and based on his due confession, Kupwara Police along with Army’s 06 JAK Rifles recovered three packets of heroin like narcotics substance weighing 2.674 Kgs from a hiding place, which was searched in presence of the Executive Magistrate.
Similarly, Raja Aftab Alias Babu son of Raja Ghulam Akbar of Teethwal, another suspect in a case FIR No. 18/2023 U/S 8/21-29 NDPS Act of PS Karnah was detained for questioning upon his confession, two packets of heroin-like narcotics substance weighing about 1.914 kgs were recovered.
Officials told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that both the persons are hardcore narcotic smugglers and had received these consignments from across the Line of Control (LoC) to promote drug addiction to earn quick money and to further the cause of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
Babu’s one of the brothers is already facing trials in a narcotic smuggling case filed at Nagrota police station in Jammu in the year 2018. We suspect his brother Zahoor Ahmed who is currently residing in Pak occupied Jammu Kashmir after crossing the LoC illegally supplying narcotics to Aftab alias Babu, he said.
Both the arrested smugglers were in close contact with the handlers across the Line of Control (LoC) and were involved in this illicit trade, officials added. “We are investigating the cases and more arrests are likely”, they said—(KNO)
