The J&K Police has unearthed an inter-state narcotic racket. Kashmir’s Kupwara and Punjab’s Ludhiana have emerged as the major trading centers. Eight people were arrested.
“Kupwara’s Amrohi (in north Kashmir) is the favourite route used for narco-smuggling. Twelve narco-terror cases have been registered in the area. No evidence of drone-drops but credible leads show narcotics have been smuggled physically,” J&K Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh said.
The top police officer’s statement follows recovery of 30kg of cocaine-like substance by the Ramban police. Samples have been sent to the forensic science laboratory for confirmation.
Eight people have been arrested, four from Kupwara and four from Punjab. The police said ₹5 crore, 40 fake number plates, passports and a German-made revolver were also seized during the ongoing investigation.
“Among the arrested from Kupwara include the key handler of the drugs. The arrested key accused’s father was also a drug dealer,” DGP Singh said.
The police said fake number plates were used to deceive the police on the highways while ferrying drugs outside Kupwara to Punjab. “The drivers of these vehicles would also impersonate police officials, given the recovery of police badges. The number plates would be changed from one stop to another,” the DGP said.
The DGP said narcotics coming from across the Line of Control into Kashmir “would be used to support and fuel terrorism”. “Links of all major terror organisations have come to the fore in the racket,” he added
Kupwara is a frontier district of north Kashmir and is close to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
