• Says “Cross-border drug syndicates under scanner”
• Over 667 kg narcotics seized; 806 arrests so far
• Assets worth over Rs 41 crore attached
• Says ‘NashaMukt’ drive gains momentum under LG Sinha
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat on Thursday issued a stern warning to Pak-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti, alleging his involvement in pumping narcotics into India, and said he and his associates would be “hunted and hounded” and their network dismantled.
“A warning to Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti, who is an ISI acolyte and partner in pumping narcotics into India: we will hunt and hound you and your associates, and decimate your evil infrastructure,” DGP Prabhat said during a press conference in Srinagar.
The DGP said that while maintaining a firm focus on tackling Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir Police has also intensified efforts against narco-terrorism under the ‘NashaMukt Jammu Kashmir Abhiyan’, launched by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on April 11.
Highlighting the force’s performance, DGP Prabhat said there has been a significant increase in action against narcotics networks since 2023.
“In terms of property attachment, there has been a 12-fold increase between 2023 and 2026,” he said, adding that J&K Police ranked third nationally in 2025 in this category.
DGP also noted that 240 preventive detentions were carried out under the PIT-NDPS Act in 2025, placing J&K Police first in the country.
On enforcement measures, he said there has been nearly a seven-fold increase in cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. “As many as 806 persons have been arrested in 724 cases,” he said.
Among those apprehended are Gulzar Ahmad alias “Love Gurjar”, wanted in 28 cases, and Avneet Singh alias “Nagi”, wanted in 17 cases in Jammu province.
DGP Prabhat said police have seized 667 kg of narcotics and 19,000 units of psychotropic substances. “Preventive action has also been taken against 24 habitual drug offenders,” he added.
He further said that 97 properties worth Rs 41.85 crore linked to the narcotics trade have been identified and attached so far. In one of the largest single-case actions, Anantnag Police attached properties worth Rs 6.17 crore.
In a first, he said, J&K Police extended property attachment operations beyond the Union Territory, including in Punjab’s Gurdaspur and Pathankot, as well as Chandigarh, indicating cross-border linkages of drug networks.
Additionally, 41 properties worth nearly Rs 15 crore, identified as proceeds of narcotics trafficking, have been demolished following due legal process.
The DGP said enforcement drives also led to the destruction of illicit poppy and cannabis cultivation spread over 117 kanals of land.
On the awareness front, he said 2,401 sensitisation programmes were conducted across schools, colleges and public spaces, reaching over three lakh participants.
He added that 5,238 chemist shops were inspected, with action initiated against 151 violators.
Further, driving licences of 162 individuals involved in narcotics cases have been cancelled or suspended, while registration certificates of 92 vehicles used in drug trafficking have been revoked. Ten passports have also been recommended for impounding.
Reiterating the force’s resolve, DGP Prabhat said Jammu and Kashmir Police remains committed to dismantling the narco-terror ecosystem and its cross-border support structures.
