Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday busted a narcotics-terror module sponsored by Pakistan and arrested three Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist associates in Handwara town of Kupwara district.
The police recovered 21 kg heroin and Rs 1.34 crore Indian currency, total worth over Rs 200 crore, from the possession of arrested LeT operatives.
Superintendent of Police, Handwara, Dr GV Sundeep Chakravarthy told media that the three LeT operatives were in contact with their handlers based out of Pakistan. He said that the module was smuggling drugs to fund Lashkar terror-related activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said that the drugs were procured from across the Line of Control (LoC) and were to be sold in different states to promote terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.
The police official said that the preliminary investigation has revealed that these drugs were on way to Punjab. Further probe is on to identify other links, the SP added.
According to the J&K Police, busting of latest hawala-based narco terror module is one of the biggest to have been busted. “The three, who were arrested, were peddling drugs to financially help the Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. It’s a very big hawala racket where the money is transferred without money movement and financed for terrorist activities,” the Handwara SP said.
The police said all three LeT operatives have been identified and are being grilled.
The police official said that the main accused, identified as Iftikhar Indrabi, is a notorious drug smuggler with several FIRs registered against him. The second man is his son-in-law Momin Peer and the third is Iqbal-ul-Islam.
A Special Investigating Team (SIT) of Jammu Kashmir Police has been constituted to investigate the matter so that more links of module can be known.
He said that the police have been conducting raids across Kashmir after the interrogation of arrested terrorist associates. More arrests will take place in the case in the coming days, added the police official.