The Jammu and Kashmir Police’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) today achieved a major breakthrough in its fight against narco-terrorism with the arrest of an alleged key handler, Basharat Ali, from the Bemina area of Srinagar.
Basharat, a resident of Tad Karnah in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, had been evading arrest for nearly three years in connection with a 2022 case, police said.
According to Pothe lice, Basharat was wanted in FIR No. 19/2022 registered by SIA Kashmir, which pertains to a Pakistan-sponsored narco-terror module of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) involved in smuggling narcotics and weapons across the Line of Control in the Karnah sector. The proceeds from the sale of narcotics were allegedly used to finance terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
Police said the accused was apprehended by a special team of SIA Kashmir after years of sustained and meticulous efforts. “Basharat is the fourth proclaimed absconder to be arrested in this case, and his arrest is expected to help unravel further linkages in the narco-terror network,” police said.
This year, the SIA Kashmir has carried out several successful operations as part of its intensified drive to dismantle narco-terror networks, leading to the arrest of multiple key operatives associated with various terror outfits, police added.
