Jammu Police bust Pak-linked drug syndicate; six held with 5 kg heroin

The Jammu Police on Thursday said they had busted a major cross-border narcotics syndicate operating from border districts and arrested six accused, recovering nearly 5 kg of heroin along with arms and ammunition. The breakthrough came after two peddlers were arrested last month with 3.26 kg of heroin, leading investigators to uncover the wider network.

During a media briefing, Superintendent of Police (SP) Jammu South Ajay Sharma said that 4.95 kg of heroin, three pistols and six live rounds had so far been seized. The arrested individuals, mostly residents of areas close to the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC), are suspected to have received drug consignments from Pakistan through drones.

The case began on November 14 when the Gandhi Nagar police apprehended Karan Sharma, a resident of Akhnoor, and Niklesh Verma of Udhampur with 3.26 kg of heroin. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to probe the racket. Acting on Karan Sharma’s disclosure, the police recovered another 278 grams of heroin on November 19, concealed in his scrap shop in Preet Nagar, Jammu.

Further investigation led to the arrest of Mohammad Yousuf of Kiryana Talab, Jammu, who was found to be a forwarding link in the module. On his disclosure, police seized 53.22 grams of heroin. Officers said he was a key peddler in the network.

Another major arrest was that of Gulshan Kumar, a resident of Lamberi along the LoC in Rajouri, who allegedly handled the syndicate’s finances. A search of his specially modified vehicle yielded 259.32 grams of heroin.

Police also arrested Jaswinder Kumar, another Lamberi resident, who was operating from inside Rajouri district jail, where he is lodged in connection with a 10 kg heroin recovery. He was allegedly in regular contact with Karan Sharma through WhatsApp and acted as a mediator between interstate and cross-border suppliers.

The police also apprehended Shamp Din alias Pappy, a resident of Suchetgarh near the International Border, who was absconding in a 2023 murder case. His disclosure led to the recovery of 619.83 grams of heroin, a pistol, and three live rounds. Din also revealed his association with Abdul Hameed of RS Pura. A raid at Hameed’s residence resulted in the recovery of a Glock pistol, three Glock rounds and a country-made pistol, though Hameed managed to flee.

SP Ajay Sharma said preliminary investigation and technical analysis indicated that all the accused were part of a well-organised trafficking module with international links. “The accused disclosed that they were in close touch with Pakistan-based individuals, namely Gill and Shah, who are believed to be the sources of both the narcotics and arms recovered,” he said.