Five cops among 17 held as J&K police busts major drug smuggling module in Kupwara

Police said a Pakistan-based terrorist handler originally hailing from Keran has surfaced to be the main supplier of narcotics to his son Tamheed Khan on this side of LoC, who has also been arrested.

Kupwara (J&K): In one of its biggest successes against drug smuggling and peddling in Kashmir Valley, the Jammu and Kashmir police on Friday arrested 17 persons, including five policemen, from different areas of district Kupwara and Baramulla unearthing another narcotics smuggling module originating from Pakistan, officials said.

The arrested accused also include a political activist, a contractor and a shopkeeper. Police said that in a bid to identify and act against the drug peddlers active in the district of Kupwara, police zeroed in on some drug peddlers active in Kupwara town and its adjoining areas. On a tip-off, one Mohd Waseem Najar, a poultry shop owner, son of Ghulam Mohd Najar, a resident of Darzipura, Kupwara, was arrested with some quantity of narcotics from his 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 the Uri area of Baramulla district involved in this illegal trade, they added. Subsequent raids were conducted at various places across the district and 16 more persons were arrested.

They have been identified as Haroon Rasheed Bhat (SPO), son of Ab Rasheed Bhat, a resident of Halmatpora, Irshad Ahmed Khan (SPO), son of Anayat ullah Khan, a resident of Batpora Hyama, Ishfaq Habib Khan, a political activist, son of Habibulla Khan, of Gonipora Hyama, Tahir Ahmed Malik, son of Ab Ahad Malik, a resident of Rigipora, Kupwara, Khursheed Ahmed Khan, dry fruits shopkeeper and his son Imtiyaz Khan, residents of Halmatpora, Tamheed Ahmed Khan, son of Shakir Ali Khan (originally hailing from Keran and now a Pakistan/POK based terrorist handler), a resident of Keran, Roman Mushtaq Bhat, son of Mushtaq Ahmed Bhat, a resident of Uri, Baramulla, Asif Rashid Hajam, son of Abdul Rashid Hajam, a resident of Batergam, Kupwara, Sajad Ahmad Bhat (SPO), son of Ghulam Mohd Bhat, a resident of Gonipora Hyama, Ab Majeed Bhat ( constable), son of Wali Mohd Bhat, a resident of Kunan Poshpora, Trehgam, Zahid Maqbool Dar (SPO), son of Mohd Maqbool Dar, a resident of Kunan Poshpora Trehgam, Abid Ali Bhat, son of Haji Ali Mohd Bhat, a resident of Bohipora Kupwara, Tanveer Ahmad Wani, a contractor, son of Mohd Issaq Wani, a resident of Gulgam Kupwara, Nadeem Javed, son of Javed Iqbal Naik of Uri Baramulla, and Tahir Ahmad Khan, son of Amir Zaman Khan, a resident of Boniyar, Baramulla.

They were arrested by different teams of Kupwara Police Station headed by SHO Mohd Rafiq Lone and Deputy SP (Prob) Khadim Hussain under the supervision of Deputy SP Rashid Younis. Police said the busting of this drug smuggling and peddling module “has yet again exposed the direct involvement of Pakistan-based terrorist handlers in pumping into Kashmir Valley narcotics aimed at destroying Kashmiri youth”.

“In this particular case, one Shakir Ali Khan, a Pakistan-based terrorist handler originally hailing from Keran has surfaced to be the main supplier of narcotics to his son Tahmeed Khan on this side of LoC,” they said. On Tahmeed’s confession and disclosure, two packets weighing close to two kgs of heroin-like narcotics substance have also been recovered from his house, they said.

Tahmeed used to transport it to Kupwara to sell it among his other arrested associates to earn huge money, police said adding Tahmeed’s father Shakir Ali Khan first crossed LoC in the early 1990s to join terrorist ranks. “After obtaining training in illegal arms and ammunition, Shakir infiltrated back and remained one of the top active terrorists of HM for quite some time in the Keran–Kupwara sector.

Feeling the heat from security forces, Shakir again crossed over LoC and was exfiltrated to PoK and is now a top terrorist handler also involved in pushing into Kashmir Valley, arms, ammunition and narcotics. Police said that in this case FIR No.283/2022 of Kupwara Police Station being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Deputy SP (Prob) Khadim Hussain, it has surfaced during the investigation that five kg narcotics worth Rs 5 crore in the market has been smuggled from Pakistan by the head of this module Tahmeed Khan during the last three months.

Out of five kgs of narcotics about two kgs have been recovered in the instant case, about one kg has been peddled among drug peddlers and addicts and about 2 kgs remain to be traced, police said. Pertinent to mention here that during the current year 85 cases have been registered against 161 persons in the district. In all, 33 people involved in narcotics smuggling have been detained and lodged in different jails under PSA ( PIT-NDPS Act).