Handwara-Narco Militancy Case: NIA arrests four drug traffickers, ’21 kg Heroin, cash worth Rs 1.36 lakh seized’

Srinagar: National Investigating Agency (NIA) Monday arrested four drug traffickers in Handwara area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district in connection with Handwara narco-militancy case.

In a statement NIA arrested four drug traffickers namely— Altaf Ahmed Shah son of Muhammad Afzal Shah R/o Dangherpora , P/S- Kheer Bhawani, Ganderbal, Kashmir ; Showkat Ahmad Parray s/o Abdul Salam Parray r/o Parray Mohalla, Wangipora Sumbal, District Bandipora, J&K; Mudasir Ahmad Dar s/o Ghulam Mohammad Dar r/o Wanduna, Shopian, Amin Allaie alias Hilal Mir s/o Hazi Ghulam Mohi-u-din Allie Near Petrol Pump, Shan-e-Kashmir National Highway Sangam, Tehsil & PS Bijbehera, District Anantnag, J&K, from Srinagar in connection with the case pertaining to seizure of 21 kg of Heroin and cash amount of Rs.1,35,89,850/- from the members of a drugs syndicate operating in J&K.

The statement said that the case was initially registered as FIR No. 183/2020 dated 11.06.2020 at Police station Handwara, district Kupwara J&K wherein during checking of vehicles at Kairo Bridge, Handwara, accused Abdul Momin Peer’s Hyundai Creta vehicle was intercepted by police at a naka and during search Rs. 20 Lakhs along with two Kgs Heroin was recovered and seized.

“NIA had re-registered the case as RC-03/2020/NIA/JMU on 23.06.2020 and taken up the investigation. Chargesheet was filed in the instant case on 05.12.2020 against six accused persons in the NIA special court, Jammu,” he said.

It said that the investigations so far has revealed that the accused persons were involved in cross-border smuggling of heroin in huge quantities from Pakistan and were supplying the same in J&K and other parts of the country.

“They were also in regular communication with the operatives of proscribed militant organisations Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), using encrypted chat platforms. The proceeds of sale were being used to finance the activities of militant organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba operating in the Kashmir,” the statement said. “The arrested accused were produced before the CJM Court in Srinagar today and have been taken on transit remand for 03 days,” the statement said. (KNO)