J&K cops suspect Punjab drug dealer's link with terrorists; probe narco-terrorism angle [details]

Intensifying campaign to snap the supply line of narcotics in the Union Territory, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Jammu and Kashmir arrested an interstate drug peddler from Punjab's Kathgarh after conducting a series of raids in different areas of Punjab for three successive days. Raids were conducted at Balchaur, Kathgarh, and Nawashahar areas of Punjab.

The arrested person identified as Bachittar Singh from village Jandi Kathgarh was "most wanted" by the Police Station ANTF Jammu under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

According to the official communique, a team of ANTF led by the Inspector Ankush Chib and SI Amandeep Singh under the close supervision of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DYSP) Arun Jamwal and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) ANTF (J-K) Vinay Sharma conducted raids at the areas in Punjab and arrested Singh.

Cops investigating narco-terrorism angle

The ANTF has brought Bachittar Singh to Jammu for further investigation to probe the link of this module with narco-terrorism.

As reported earlier, some top terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfits, based across the border in Pakistan, are generating funds by selling narcotics drugs to finance terror outfits active in the J&K.

Cops have reason to investigate Singh's link with terrorists because he used to deposit money in the accounts of drug-lords of South Kashmir who would further send drugs by concealing them in trucks going from Kashmir valley to Punjab from where he used to collect the drugs and sell to the local youth of the area to earn huge money.

Singh was the main receiver of Narcotics and Psychotropic drugs, smuggled from Jammu and Kashmir to the Punjab area.

ANTF Jammu claimed that the arrest of the "main notorious drug dealer" has been able to break the forward chain network of narcotics and psychotropic drugs from Kashmir Valley to Punjab.

Links of Punjab drug mafia with terrorists exposed during Handwara narco-terrorism case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) in its chargesheet, against the seven arrested terrorists in Handwara narco-terrorism case, had exposed the nefarious designs of terror groups and drug mafia of different states. This narco-terrorism case was initially registered in the Handwara police station on June 11, 2020, but later handed over to the NIA.

The deep-rooted conspiracy for procuring and selling narcotics drugs and generating funds in J-K and other parts of India was unearthed during the questioning of seven arrested accused in the Handwara narco-terrorism case.