SIA continues mega crackdown on 'Narco-Terrorists', raids multiple locations in J&K

Srinagar: The State investigating agency(SIA) on Saturday continued its crackdown on narcotics dealers in Jammu and Kashmir. The SIA said that it conducted searches at multiple locations across Valley. A statement issued by SIA stated that it conducted extensive searches at different locations in the districts of Srinagar, Budgam & Kupwara today. These searches were part of an investigation against Narco- terrorists who are financing terrorists through smuggling hard drugs from Pakistan and selling it in J&K and other parts of the country.

Equipped with search warrants issued by the Hon’ble Court of Special Judge, Designated under NIA Act (TADA/POTA) Srinagar, house searches were conducted in connection with the investigation of case FIR No. 17/2022 u/s 8,21,29 NDPS Act, 13,17,18,39, 40 Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 121 and 120-B, 121, 121-A IPC of Police Station CI-SIA Kashmir.

The statement further stated that this case was registered by the Police on the receipt of reliable information that a group of persons working as overground workers for different proscribed terrorist organisations are involved in border smuggling of narcotic drugs and substance and the proceeds thereof are passed on to the terrorist organisations for furtherance of terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

During the investigation, it surfaced that proscribed terrorist organisations across the border in order to fuel the terrorist activities in J-K are adopting various means and methods to provide logistic support to terrorists here, he said. The statement reads that one of the ways and means is to send consignments of heroin, brown sugar and other contraband substances worth lakhs of rupees and smuggle the same to valley through their overground workers, conduits, supporters and other terrorist sympathisers.

During the searches, incriminating material including a digital weighing machine, Cell phones, Electronic gadgets, important documents, bank accounts, digital evidence and other incriminating material having a bearing on the investigation of the case was recovered and seized, they said. Analysis of the data and pieces of evidence would follow and leads that would emerge would become the basis for further investigation, reads the statement.