Inter-state drug racket busted, three arrested

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday said they had dismantled a major inter-state drug trafficking network by arresting three individuals involved in the illicit trade.

A police spokesperson said in a significant operation, the police in Anantnag busted the drug trafficking network. Acting on credible input about a consignment of narcotic drugs being transported from Delhi to Srinagar, the police in South Kashmir’s Anantnag established multiple checkpoints along the route.

During checking, a vehicle, with three persons on board, was intercepted at Doonipora Bijbehra. “During search, the police recovered 413 bottles of Codeine Phosphate (NRX), branded as Codril-T, concealed in the car’s door panels. All the three accused persons have been arrested and shifted to the Bijbehara police station, where they remain in custody,” the spokesperson said.

The accused were identified as Monty Singh resident of Bulandshahar, Uttar Pradesh, and Ashish Bardawaj and Rahul, both residents of Chhatarpur, New Delhi.

The police said further investigation revealed that the consignment was reportedly intended for delivery in Sopore and Srinagar. The police conducted multiple raids, resulting in the detention of a local smuggler from Sopore for questioning.

“Cooperation with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in New Delhi led to a raid at a warehouse in Noida’s Sector 135, where a substantial quantity of Codeine was recovered,” the police said.

According to the police, the key individuals behind the racket were identified as Sachin Rana and Arun Rana, both residents of Faridabad. “Efforts to apprehend them are going on. This operation has uncovered both the forward and backward linkages of the interstate drug network,” the spokesperson said.