Abid Bashir
Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir police today busted a huge narco-militant module of Lashkar-e-Toiba in the Handwara area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district and recovered Rs 1.34 crore cash and heroin worth Rs 100 crore from the possession of three Lashkar associates.
J&K police has constituted a Special Investigating Team (SIT) headed by an SSP to reach out to the bottom of the case and find out for whom the money and drugs were meant to be supplied. Police said more arrests are likely to be made in the case soon.
Addressing a press conference in Handwara, Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Handwara Dr GV Sundeep said that a narco-militant module was busted and a huge recovery of 21 kgs of heroin (Market value Rs 100 Crore) and Rs 1.24 crore cash (Indian currency) were covered from three associates of Lashkar.
“Specific inputs about the module were developed and the module was under our radar. Our special team successfully arrested the three Lashkar associates who were key members of this module,” the SSP said. “All the three Lashkar associates were in touch with Pakistan and their main aim was to strengthen the Lashkar roots in Kashmir besides supplying drugs across Kashmir.”
The SSP said that after the recovery of a huge quantity of heroine and other drugs, it is clear that militants are promoting drug trade in Kashmir besides violence.
The SSP identified the arrested persons as Iftikhar Indrabi, a resident of Rajwar, Handwara, a notorious drug peddler and already involved in many other cases; Abdul Moomin Peer of Waskura, Handwara, and Islam ul Haq peer of Waskura, Handwara. The SSP said that many other people involved in the racket are absconding and will be arrested as soon as they are identified.
He said that Pakistan based outfits cultivate the narcotics there and send it through illegal routes into the valley. “These consignments are received by handlers including the Over Ground Workers (OGWs) and they sell it in other parts of the country and distribute the money to promote militant activities,” the police officer said.
He said that investigations so far have revealed that these drugs were on the way to Punjab. “Further probe is on to identify other links,” the SSP said. The Police officer said that all the arrested persons were recently set free on bail after they were arrested under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for their involvement in drug trade.
Terming Iftikhar’s arrest as a “big achievement”, the SSP said that he is a big kingpin of the drug chain in Handwara. “We are hopeful the drug trade will come to an end with Iftikhar’s arrest,” he said, adding that the arrested trio had widened their network not only in Handwara but in the entire Kupwara district.
