Srinagar: As many as 156 persons were arrested for peddling drugs in Srinagar city and seized a dozen residential houses and vehicles amounting to over Rs 4 crore this year, said a Jammu and Kashmir Police official.
This comes in the wake of rising drug menace in Jammu and Kashmir touching alarming levels and impacting, as per a research study by IMHANS Kashmir, nearly 20 lakh population. With the numbers growing, the J&K Police has swung into action and launched a massive crackdown on drug trafficking across the Valley.
In Srinagar, as per police, 156 persons involved in the peddling and trafficking of narcotics and psychotropic substances have been arrested with 94 cases registered under the NDPS(Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act in several police stations of the district.
Cannabis, which is said to be cultivated mostly in Kashmir, has emerged as a key substance illegally trafficked in Srinagar with police recovering 44.18 kilograms in 2024.
“The recoveries of drugs and narcotics made by Srinagar Police include Brown Sugar - 1.17 kg Heroin - 2.92 kg Charas - 13.13 kg Ganja - 10.16 kg Crystal meth - 2.83 kg Cannabis/Poppy Straw - 44.18 kg Psychotropic substances - 284 bottles and 2823 tabs of banned drugs,” said the police spokesperson.
In illicit trade and subsequent arrests, the official said that seven vehicles and seven residential houses have been seized with the estimated valuation of 4.47 crores. “Twenty-three bank accounts belonging to these drug peddlers have been frozen in NDPS Act cases,” he added.
Besides, the police official said, 26 notorious drug peddlers have been booked under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PIT-NDPS Act) in several jails of J&K including Central Jail Udhampur, Bhaderwah, Kathua, Kot Balwal Jammu.
“These drug peddlers have been involved in the peddling of narcotics among the youth of Srinagar on an alarming scale. Besides, they were also involved in several NDPS Act cases at various police stations in Srinagar. Despite several NDPS Act cases registered against them, they didn’t not mend their ways after getting bailed out from courts and were brazenly promoting drugs among the youth of the valley, especially in Srinagar, through their illegal narcotics network,” police said.
Besides cash worth Rs 4,90,696 and 17 mobile phones, the police official said that a drone camera has also been recovered from the drug peddlers.
The capture of a high-tech drone exclusively reported by the ETV Bharat, revealed the use of drones in dispensing drugs within the Valley for the first time.
“Jammu and Kashmir Police affirms its steadfast commitment to eliminating drug peddling in the region with the full might of law. We also caution those engaged in this unlawful activity that the long arm of law would catch them sooner than anticipated and every offender will face justice,” the official added
