3 non-JK residents held as police bust interstate drug trafficking network

Srinagar. Oct 12: Police in south Kashmir’s Anantnag Saturday said they busted a big interstate drug trafficking network by arresting three people it accused of being involved in the illicit trade.

In an official statement, the police said that they acted on a credible inputs about a consignment of narcotic drugs being transported from Delhi to Srinagar and consequently established multiple check points along the route.

During checking, a vehicle was intercepted at Doonipora Bijbehara in south Kashmir, with three people onboard.

They identified the accused as Monty Singh, resident of Bulandshahar, UP, Ashish Bardawaj, and Rahul, both residents of Chhatarpur, New Delhi.

During search, police said they recovered 413 bottles of Codeine Phosphate (NRX), branded as Codril-T, concealed in the car’s door panels.

All the three accused persons have been arrested and shifted to Police Station Bijbehara where they remain in custody, the statement said.

Further investigation revealed that the consignment was reportedly intended for delivery in Sopore and Srinagar.

Following this, multiple raids were conducted, and a local smuggler from north Kashmir’s Sopore was detained for questioning, the statement read.

Further, police said they contacted the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in New Delhi, resulting in a raid at a warehouse in Noida’s Sector 135, where a substantial quantity of Codeine was also recovered.

The key individuals behind the racket have been identified as Sachin Rana and Arun Rana both residents of Faridabad even as efforts are on to apprehend them, police said.

“This operation has uncovered both the forward and backward linkages of the interstate drug network, with further arrests expected as the investigation continues,” added the statement.