Kupwara, Dec 23: Seventeen persons including five policemen involved in the smuggling of narcotics were arrested from different areas of Kupwara and Baramulla districts, Police said on Friday.
Addressing a news conference, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kupwara Yougal Manhas said that acting on a tipoff, Police arrested one Muhammad Waseem Najar, a poultry shop owner, son of Ghulam Mohd Najar of Darzipura, Kupwara with some quantity of narcotics from his residential house.
“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 Uri area of Baramulla district involved in smuggling of drugs,” Manhas said.
“Subsequent raids were conducted at various places across the district and 16 more persons identified as Haroon Rasheed Bhat (SPO), son of Abdul Rasheed Bhat of Halmatpora, Irshad Ahmed Khan (SPO), son of Anayatullah Khan of Batpora Hyama, Ishfaq Habib Khan, a political activist, son of Habibulla Khan of Gonipora Hyama, Tahir Ahmad Malik, son of Abdul Ahad Malik of Rigipora, Kupwara, Khursheed Ahmed Khan, dry fruit shopkeeper and his son Imtiyaz Khan of Halmatpora, Tamheed Ahmad Khan, son of Shakir Ali Khan (originally hailing from Keran and now a Pakistan and PoK-based terrorist handler) of Keran, Roman Mushtaq Bhat, son of Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat of Uri, Baramulla, Asif Rashid Hajam, son of Abdul Rashid Hajam of Batergam, Kupwara, Sajad Ahmad Bhat (SPO), son of Ghulam Muhammad Bhat of Gonipora Hyama, Abdul Majeed Bhat (Police constable), son of Wali Muhammad Bhat of Kunan Poshpora, Zahid Maqbool Dar (SPO), son of Muhammad Maqbool Dar of Kunan Poshpora, Abid Ali Bhat, son of Haji Ali Muhammad Bhat of Bohipora, Kupwara, Tanveer Ahmad Wani, a contractor, son of Muhammad Issaq Wani of Gulgam Kupwara, Nadeem Javed, son of Javed Iqbal Naik of Uri Baramulla, and Tahir Ahmad Khan, son of Amir Zaman Khan of Boniyar, Baramulla were arrested,” he said.
Manhas said that during investigation it had come to fore that the PoK-based terrorist handlers were directly involved in pumping narcotics into Kashmir with an aim to destroy Kashmiri youth and in this case one Shakir Ali Khan, a Pakistan-based terrorist handler originally hailing from Keran had surfaced to be the main supplier of narcotics to his son Tahmeed Khan on this side of LoC.
“On Tahmeed’s confession and disclosure, two packets weighing close to 2 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 firstly crossed LoC in early 1990s to join terrorist ranks. After getting training in illegal arms and ammunition, Shakir infiltrated back and remained one of the top active terrorists of HM for quite some time in the Keran sector of Kupwara. Feeling the heat from security forces, Shakir again crossed over LoC and exfiltrated to PoK and is now a top terrorist handler also involved in pushing into Kashmir arms, ammunition, and narcotics,” the SSP said. “During investigation it has come to the fore that 5 kg narcotics has been smuggled from Pakistan by the head of this module Tahmeed Khan during the last three months.”
The SSP told Greater Kashmir that all the SPOs arrested in this case had been disengaged from services.