NIA nabs Kupwara resident wanted in narco-terror case

Srinagar, July 7

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday arrested a resident of Kupwara district in a narco-terror nexus case. The accused had links with Pakistan-based terrorist outfits, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, the specialised counter-terrorism law enforcement agency said.

The accused identified as Syed Saleem Jahangir Andrabi was on the run since June 2020, NIA officials said.

“His arrest marks a major success in our efforts to destroy the narco-terror nexus and dismantle the ecosystem created in the country by terrorist organisations based across the border,” the NIA said.

The National Investigation Agency had taken over the investigation in the case in June 2020 from the local police. During the investigation, it was found that Saleem Andarbi was part of a deep-rooted conspiracy for procuring and selling drugs and generating funds in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country, the NIA said on Sunday.

“The conspiracy was hatched by drug smugglers in close association with operatives of banned terrorist outfits, LeT and HM, based across the border in Pakistan,” the statement said.

“Funds generated through the narcotics racket were pumped into J&K through a network of overground workers for promoting violence,” NIA investigations revealed.

According to the NIA, the case was originally registered at the Handwara police station following the arrest of Abdul Momin Peer with 2-kg heroin. “The National Investigation Agency has chargesheeted 15 accused so far and the probe in the case in on,” the statement said.