From de facto terror headquarter to narcotics smuggling hub, the restive Pulwama district in troubled south Kashmir is giving sleepless nights to security forces busy fighting the war on terror in the strife-torn valley.
More than 712 kg of various contraband drugs have been seized in the district in the last one month. This includes 244 kg of cannabis powder, 43 kg of cannabis leaves (raw material of charas) and a large quantity of poppy straw and other drug derivatives.
For the last one month, the special squad of Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted dozens of raids in the district and registered 26 cases against the drug peddlers. An auto rickshaw used to smuggle the drugs have also been seized and several smugglers have been put behind bars.
The biggest haul of 122 kg of cannabis powder was by the special squad during a specific search operation at four villages in Pulwama district on Friday.
"A huge quantity of cannabis plants kept for drying by drug peddlers has been destroyed. Searches were conducted at a number of places and contraband narcotic substances were recovered. Cases were registered against the culprits," said a police spokesman
Mohommad Aslam, Senior Superintendent of Police, Pulwama, expressed his gratitude to the general public, especially the youth, for extending their wholehearted support and cooperation to the police team in eradicating the drug menace. "People have been very supportive and cooperative during raids," he said.
For the last one year, Pulwama district has become synonymous with terrorism and encounters. From Hizbul Mujhadeen poster boy Burhan Wani to his deputy Sabzar Bhat to Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Abu Dujana, top terrorist leaders have been killed by security forces in different encounters across the district in the last one year.
"Since the unrest began, smugglers have had a field day. They have been the biggest beneficiaries of the unrest. Taking advantage of the chaos, the smugglers ferried drugs from one place to another without any hindrance because the forces were busy dealing with issues of law and order," said an officer.
With the situation showing signs of improvement, focus has again shifted to the anti-drug drive in south Kashmir. "Special squads have been formed in different areas that are conducting raids on smugglers. Drug peddlers are now on the run," said another officer
Official figures revealed that police have seized 64 kg of charas, 7.5 kg of charas powder, 194 kg of bhang and bhang dust, 925 kg of fukki, 915 kg of poppy straw, and 3.75 kg of brown sugar in different parts of the valley in 2016. If that wasn't enough, police seized 26,457 intoxicating capsules, 10,553 intoxicating tablets, and 12,983 bottles of intoxicating syrup in 2016.
Around 312 persons were arrested in 2016 of whom 202 were prosecuted and 26 others were booked under Public Safety Act (PSA), under which a person can be jailed without trial with bail up to two years. Similarly in 2015, police registered 375 cases and arrested 442 people, and 13 others have been booked under the PSA.
Seized in 2016
Official figures reveal tpolice seized 64 kg of charas, 7.5 kg of charas powder, 194 kg of bhang and bhang dust, 925 kg of fukki, 915 kg of poppy straw, and 3.75 kg of brown sugar in different parts of the valley in 2016.
They also seized 26,457 intoxicating capsules, 10,553 intoxicating tablets, and 12,983 bottles of intoxicating syrup
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