A top police officer Monday said terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen is also engaged in smuggling narcotics into Jammu and Kashmir from across the Line of Control.
Jammu Inspector General of Police M K Sinha told reporters about Hizbul's drug smuggling nexus while announcing the arrest of a smuggler near LoC in Poonch district, nabbed with 12 kg of heroin.
Mohammad Altaf alias "Hafiz", a resident of Behrouti Kanga village of Balakote area in India's Mendhar sector was arrested on June 21 on a tip off by of his two accomplices, nabbed last month along.
The duo, Fayaz Ahmad Dar of Bijbehara in Anantnag district and Arshad Ahmad of Shopian, were arrested on May 27 and were found in possession of 260 grams of heroin and over Rs 12 lakh, said Sinha.
The IGP said four accounts belonging to one of the three arrested smugglers were frozen and further investigation is on.
Drug smugglers Dar and Arshad were arrested by a police team on from Vivekanand Chowk in Jammu.
"During his interrogation, the arrested smugglers revealed that there is a nexus between Hizbul Mujahideen militants, trained in Pakistan and presently living with narco smugglers on this side of the border," he said.
"Hizbul Mujahideen is smuggling the narcotic substance through its conduits into the country," he said.
"At the moment we are still investigating and trying to study how the money is circulated and where it is used," said Sinha
"A five member special investigation team headed by SP (North) Amrit Paul Singh was constituted and during sustained interrogation, Arshad broke down and named Hafiz who is actually receiving the consignment at the zero line in his village and smuggling the same into India," the IGP said.
He said Hafiz was arrested on June 21 and at his disclosure, 12 kgs of heroin was recovered from his village on Sunday.
"Fayaz had gone across the LoC in January 2018 to meet his brother Ayaz who is a Pakistan-trained Hizbul Mujahideen militant. He fled to Pakistan after remaining active here for many years and is presently living in Rawalpandi," said Sinha.
Highlighting police achievements against its anti-drug drive, Sinha said so far 454 drug peddlers were arrested this year and 341 cases under the NDPS Act registered against the 302 arrests and 231 cases during the same period last year.
On recoveries of narcotics this year, he said 57 kgs of heroin, 5,035 kgs of poppy straw, 111 kgs of charas and 15,676 bottles of banned 'corex' were seized so far.
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