NCB probes insider role in escape of drug accused in Jammu

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has launched an internal investigation to determine whether an insider aided the escape of a suspected drug peddler arrested last week for his alleged involvement in an inter-state narcotics network.

The accused, Aqib Bashir, a resident of Kakapora in Pulwama district, was arrested on September 3. However, he managed to flee from NCB custody during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.

A senior NCB official said an internal inquiry had been initiated to ascertain whether anyone within the agency facilitated the escape from the NCB office in Jammu’s Narwal area.

“We cannot rule out that possibility. However, we assure that strict action will be taken against anyone found responsible for allowing the accused to escape from our custody,” the official said. He added that stringent action had been taken in similar incidents elsewhere in the country.

The official acknowledged that the recently established NCB office at Narwal had certain security shortcomings.

Investigators have traced Bashir’s movements through CCTV footage, which showed him leaving the NCB office and moving towards the nearby vegetable market before reaching the Balidan Stambh area.

A multi-agency manhunt has been launched to trace the accused, who is believed to have links with drug peddlers in Punjab. Officials said five persons connected to the narcotics network have been taken into custody since September 3.

Sources in the NCB said the network operated across several locations in Punjab, including Ludhiana and the border district of Ferozepur, as well as Pulwama and Jammu in J&K.

The NCB suspects Bashir may attempt to travel either to Kashmir or Punjab, prompting it to alert police authorities in both regions.

While there is no direct evidence linking Bashir to Pakistani drug smugglers, officials said the possibility has not been ruled out.