J-K SIA arrests narco-terror module kingpin having links with Pakistan-based handlers

The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday claimed to have achieved a major breakthrough with the arrest of the kingpin of a narco-terror module from Mumbai airport.

Mohd Arshad, alias Asif, a resident of Degwar-Terwan village in Haveli tehsil of Poonch, had been absconding since 2023 and was operating from Saudi Arabia, a spokesperson of the agency said here.

“He was the kingpin of a narco-terror module and key link between Pakistan-based handlers and narco-terror operatives in Jammu and Kashmir,” the spokesperson said.

The SIA Jammu had earlier issued a Look-Out Circular (LOC) against Arshad in 2023, followed by the issuance of a Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) from the competent court.

The accused has been taken into custody on a three-day transit remand from Mumbai, he said.

A total of eight accused were found involved in the case, out of which two were absconding. One absconder, Laquit Ahmed, was earlier arrested by SIA-Jammu from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad in March 2025, who had absconded soon after the incident to Dubai, the spokesperson said.

Arshad had facilitated the travel of co-accused Ahmed to Dubai and also organised a secret meeting in the Surankote area of Poonch for reviving terrorism and narco-terror activities in the Pir Panjal region under his guidance, the he said.

“The arrest marks a significant success for the SIA, Jammu and Kashmir in its sustained efforts to dismantle networks involved in narco-terrorism and cross-border subversive activities,” the spokesperson said.