3 arrested for cross-border drug smuggling in Poonch

Jammu, June 9

Over a week after the police arrested two Punjab-based drug peddlers from Sunderbani area in Rajouri district along with 22-kg heroin, the Army and the police, in a joint operation, arrested three operatives of “cross-border drug smuggling racket” in Poonch district on Friday.

Lt Col Devender Anand, Defence PRO based in Jammu, said that in the follow-up operations to the Sunderbani narcotics recovery case, multiple joint operations had been conducted by the Army and the police. “In the last 72 hours, three main conduits of the cross-border narco-terror module have been apprehended. The arrested individuals have been identified as Shakar Din, a resident of Degwar Terwan village, Rashid and Shafir, residents of Kalas village in Poonch,” he said.

Two grenades have been seized from them. “Extensive joint search operations are currently in progress. The apprehension of these three individuals is a major blow to the complex cross-border narco-terror nexus being operated from PoJK,” the Defence PRO added.

The police had on June 1 arrested Onkar Singh and Shamsher Singh, both residents of Gurdaspur in Punjab, carrying 22-kg heroin in Sunderbani area. The police had informed that the drug was to be taken to Punjab.

Sources said that the duo had brought the drugs from along the LoC in Poonch with the help of three smugglers arrested today.

PSA slapped on cattle smugglers

• Two persons were arrested on Friday for their alleged involvement in cattle smuggling in Kishtwar district, officials said.
• Identified as Ishtiaq Ahmed and Atta Mohd, the accused have also been slapped with the Public Safety Act (PSA). PTI