Srinagar: Six teenagers allegedly planning
to cross the border for arms-training were detained in Kupwara
district of North Kashmir and handed over to their parents,
official sources said today.
The boys, all 13-years-old, hailing from Pattan area of
Baramulla district, were taken into custody at Rigipora
village, 85 kms from here, when they were coming out of a
mosque after offering prayers last evening, the sources said.
They were identified as Abdul Rashid, Umar Sultan,
Mohammad Yaqoob Bhat, Mohammad Saleem Sheikh, Shariq Ahmad Mir
and Ishtiaq Ahmad Tantray.
During questioning, they confessed that they had come to
the border district to cross the border and join militant
ranks. They were handed over to parents by police this
afternoon.
This was the second incident this year when police foiled
ex-filtration bid by teenagers. Earlier, eight boys hailing
from Shopian district of South Kashmir were arrested from
Srinagar while they were on their way to Kupwara enroute to
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir for arms training.
13-yr-old `drug peddler` arrested
A 13-year-old boy was arrested
with 500 gm of charas from Anantnag district of South Kashmir
today and police said he was the youngest "drug peddler" to be
taken into custody, so far, in the state.
Umar Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Marhama village, was
arrested from Kaigam crossing near Awantipora, 32 kms from
here on Srinagar-Jammu national highway, official sources
said.
The boy was arrested on the basis of a specific
information and the 500 grams of `charas` recovered from him
is worth lakhs of rupees in international market, they said.
Police said a case has been registered against him and
it was the first time that a minor of his age was arrested
along with a narcotic substance.
The arrest has come at a time when police have launched
a massive drive against cultivation of banned crops like poppy
and bhung in South Kashmir.
-PTI
