Srinagar, Sept 17 : The State Investigation Agency (SIA) has arrested a key narcotic smuggler wanted in a high-profile narco-terror case.
The accused, identified as a resident of Uri in Baramulla district, had been evading arrest for the past three years. He was apprehended by a special SIA team from Kathua district in Jammu region. Officials described his capture as a severe blow to a narco-terror module allegedly backed by handlers based across the border in Pakistan.
According to investigators, the module was engaged in smuggling narcotics through the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector. Once inside Jammu and Kashmir, the contraband was transported to different parts of the Valley as well as the Jammu region. Proceeds from the illicit trade were then allegedly diverted to finance militant activities, sustaining networks that have been under increasing pressure from security forces.
The case is tied to an FIR registered in 2022, which involved the recovery of one kilogram of heroin, seven kilograms of poppy straw, and four kilograms of poppy seeds. So far, charge sheets have been filed against five members of the same module. The latest arrest, officials say, will help track both forward and backward linkages of the network, with the aim of dismantling its entire structure.
“This arrest is not only the culmination of a long pursuit but also a critical step in cutting off the funding channels that keep militancy alive. With his capture, the SIA hopes to expose more operatives and choke the narco-terror ecosystem,” said an official familiar with the investigation. [KNT]
