Srinagar: In a major breakthrough in Jammu and Kashmir, police unearthed a Pakistan-linked module of narcotics smuggling by arresting 17 persons, including six policemen, and recovered drugs from 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 told UNI on Friday.

Acting 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 terrorist 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 terrorist 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 terrorist 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).

On Tahmeed’s confession and disclosure, two packets weighing close to 2.0 Kg of Heroin like narcotics substance have also been recovered from his house.

Tahmeed used to transport it to Kupwara to sell it among his other arrested associates to earn huge money.

Tahmeed’s father Shakir Ali Khan had crossed the LoC in early 1990s to join terrorist ranks.

After obtaining training in illegal arms and ammunition, he infiltrated back and remained one of the top active terrorists of Hiabul Mujahideen (HM) for quite some time in Keran – Kupwara sector.

Feeling the heat from security forces, Shakir again crossed over LoC and went to POK and is now a top terrorist handler and also involved in pushing into Kashmir Valley, arms, ammunition and narcotics.

A case has been registered in Police Station Kupwara and is being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and it has surfaced during investigation that narcotics measuring about 5.0 Kg valued at Rs 5.0 Crores in the market has been smuggled in from Pakistan by the head of this module Tahmeed Khan during the last three months.

Out of this 5.0 Kg of narcotics, about 2.0 Kg has been recovered, about 1.0 kg has been peddled among drug peddlers and addicts and about 2.0 Kg remains to be traced.

Pertinent to mention here that during the current year 85 cases have been registered against 161 persons in the district. 33 people involved in narcotics smuggling have been detained and lodged in different jails under Public Safety Act (PSA) ( PIT-NDPS Act).

(With UNI inputs)