J&K: Four drug peddlers arrested, 1.17 kg brown sugar-like substance, Rs 25.39 lakh recovered in Baramulla

The group was on board a vehicle when they were stopped at a checkpoint set up after receiving information based on prior inputs, police said.

Baramulla (J&K):Four drug peddlers were arrested and 1.17 kg of brown-sugar-like substance as well as Rs 25.39 lakh was recovered from their possession in Kamalkote area of Uri, in Jammu Kashmir's Baramulla district, on Sunday. Acting on an input regarding smuggling of narcotics in the area, a special checkpoint was set up on the road leading toward Uri from Kamalkote. The vehicle with the four accused on board tried to flee the checkpoint instead of stopping for inspection, J&K Police said in a release.

The contraband was revealed after the vehicle was intercepted, it also noted. The accused have been identified as Naseer Ahmed Bhatti, Reyaz Ahmad Khanday, Fayaz Ahmad Khanday, and Mohd Pazeer, all residents of Kamalkote. An FIR was subsequently lodged against the accused under sections 8/21, 29 of the NDPS Act at Uri PS, it said. "During preliminary investigation, it was learnt that under a well-hatched conspiracy, Pakistan-based handlers are pushing drugs inside JK through such smugglers to spread drug addiction amongst youth of JK" it further stated.

Meanwhile, three terrorists associated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba were arrested in Srinagar earlier this week, with Rs 31,65,200, a mobile phone, and a total eight pages of an LeT letter pad recovered from their possession. The trio, on board a scooter with a blue cricket bag containing the possessions, tried to avoid a checkpoint while travelling from Lasjan towards NHW in the city. The money was received by them in order to strengthen organisation ranks in Srinagar district, officials said.