Paramilitary personnel and women are the new recruits of the thriving drug cartel in the Kashmir valley.
SRINAGAR: Paramilitary personnel and women are the new recruits of the thriving drug cartel in the Kashmir valley.
The dangerous liaison is giving sleepless nights to police, who have arrested two CRPF men and two women and seized a large quantity of brown sugar and charas in a special anti-narcotics drive at different places.
Acting on specific information, the police arrested the CRPF soldiers and seized 2.5 kg of brown sugar at Utrusso in Anantnag district. Mushtaq and Farooq Ahmad of 174 battalion were carrying the consignment to be sold to a potential customer in south Kashmir.
“They had brought the consignment from Kupwara and were looking for a customer. The consignment was given to them by Mushtaq’s brother. Both are part of 174 BN CRPF,” said Javid Ahmad, additional superintendent of police, Anantnag.
The police are now investigating whether the consignment has any cross-border links because brown sugar is not produced in Kupwara.
“We are investigating how brown sugar reached the border district. We suspect it may have come from across the LoC,” Javid said.
Subhansu Singh, acting PRO of the CRPF, said both soldiers had been placed under suspension and an internal inquiry has been ordered.
“Mushtaq had been missing from duty for some time, so had been Farooq,” he said.
But what has really shocked the police is the arrest of the Kashmiri women drug traffickers.
Superintendent of police (north city zone) Bashir Ahmad Khan said following specific information, they carried out a search in Malkah area.
“During the operation, we arrested a man and two women, Shahzada and Rafiqa, and recovered 2 kg of charas from them.”
The contraband had been brought from Awantipora in south Kashmir and was to be sold to a conduit in Srinagar.
“The women are aged 30 to 35. A few months ago, we had arrested another woman, Rubina, for drug trafficking,” Khan said.
The SP said drug smugglers were now recruiting women to fool the police.
“They (drug smugglers) feel women are not checked or frisked and therefore, can avoid being caught,” Khan said.
h_ishfaq@dnaindia.net
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}