Police unearths Pakistan linked drug module, 17 arrested

Srinagar:  In a major breakthrough Jammu and Kashmir Police unearthed a Pakistan linked module of narcotics smuggling by arresting 17 persons including six policemen and recovered drugs in twin north Kashmir districts of Kupwara and Baramulla.
The arrested persons include five policemen, a political activist, a Contractor and a shopkeeper from different areas of district Kupwara and Baramulla, they unearthed the narcotics smuggling module originating from Pakistan, police said on Friday.
On a tip-off Police zeroed in on some drug peddlers active in Kupwara town and its adjoining areas and arrested one Mohammad Waseem Najar,a poultry shop owner of Darzipura, and recovered some quantity of narcotics from his residence.
After preliminary investigations, Waseem admitted to be 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 border area of Uri in Baramulla district involved in this illegal trade.
Subsequent raids were conducted at various places across the district and 16 more persons were arrested.
The arrested persons include Haroon Rasheed Bhat (SPO), Irshad Ahmed Khan (SPO), Ishfaq Habib Khan – a political activist, Tahir Ahmed Malik, Khursheed Ahmed Khan a dry fruits Shop owner and his son Imtiyaz Khan, Tamheed Ahmed Khan (originally hailing from Keran and now a Pakistan/POK based militant handler), Roman Mushtaq Bhat, Asif Rashid Hajam, Sajad Ahmad Bhat (SPO), son of Ghulam Mohd Bhat, Abdul Majeed Bhat (Police Constable), Zahid Maqbool Dar (SPO), Abid Ali Bhat, Tanveer Ahmad Wani – a contractor, Nadeem Javed and Tahir Ahmad Khan.
The arrest of the module exposed the direct involvement of Pakistan-based militant handlers in pumping into Kashmir Valley narcotics aimed to destroy Kashmiri youth, police said and added in this particular case, one Shakir Ali Khan, a Pakistan-based militant handler originally hailing from Keran has surfaced to be the main supplier of narcotics to his son Tahmeed Khan on this side of Line of Control (LoC).