Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 7: The Police and Army recovered over Rs 1.64 crore cash connected with the cross border and inter-state narcotics trade, during a joint raid at a village near the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district today.
Official sources told the ‘Excelsior’ that few days ago, a Punjab Police party along with a police party from Kathua nabbed one person from Sarya village closer to the LoC in Jhangar sub sector of Nowshera. The police arrested drug-peddler Sikandar from Sarya along with huge cash and took him to Punjab.
The name of the LoC resident, Sikandar, hailing from Nowshera area of Rajouri surfaced during interrogation of a drug-smuggler in Punjab. On the basis of inputs received from him, the Punjab Police raided the house at Sarya village in Nowshera and also in Kheora area of Rajouri lifted two persons. This chain of drug-smugglers was said to be connected with Pakistan/PoK, J&K and Punjab. The local intelligence inputs were also with the Rajouri police, and they were keeping eye on the activities of these peddlers for the last few weeks.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajouri, Sheema Nabi Qasba while giving detail about the recovery of huge cash disclosed that this cash was kept in two bags belonging to Manzoor Ahmad at his house in Saryah village, near the Line of Control. The involvement of Manzoor came to fore during the sustained interrogation of detained smugglers.
“A case under various Sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act has been lodged in Police Station Nowshera in connection with the recovery and efforts are on to arrest Manzoor Ahmad for further investigation,” Qasba revealed.
She said the joint operation was carried out on credible inputs and the money kept in the two bags amounting to Rs 1,64,70,600 was seized in the presence of a Magistrate from Nowshera. An FIR No. 184/2021 has been registered in this connection.
The SSP said infact, Manzoor is a close relative of drug-peddler- Sikandar who was recently arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act by a joint team of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir Police from Nangal in Punjab.
She said on September 4, Rs 29.50 lakh cash was recovered from the house of Sikandar by a joint team of Punjab and J&K Police from his village Sarya in Nowshera sector. He was booked in case FIR No. 164/2021 by Police Station Kathu Nangal in Punjab.
The SSP disclosed that more arrests and recoveries are likely in next few days as the investigation into the case was still in progress. The connection of these drug-peddlers with the Pakistani smugglers can not be ruled out, she maintained.
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