India: Police bust tech savvy drug peddler ring in Kashmir Valley

Narco terror has become one of the biggest challenges for the security forces in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier, Pakistan used to use drones to drop narcotics from across the border, or the Line of Control (LOC), but now drug peddlers are using technology like high-end drones and encrypted apps to deliver drugs in Srinagar.

Jammu and Kashmir Police have busted a very unique case in Srinagar's downtown area of Safakadal where they arrested a tech-savvy teenage drug peddler and seized his high-tech drone and narcotics. 

According to the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the teenager used the drone to keep a vigil in the area where he used to sell drugs. He would generally call the buyers to a spot and make them walk for over a kilometre while keeping an eye on their movement to be sure that they were not accomplices of the police.

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The police officials said that they had information about the teen’s involvement in drug peddling and were keeping a watch so that he could be arrested with narcotic consignment.

“Few days ago, Police station Safa Kadal arrested three drug peddlers from the same area who used to sell narcotics. We have also recovered a drone from the drug peddler, which they used to keep a vigil on the customers and also save themselves from police. This is the first time that a drone has been recovered from a drug peddler in Kashmir. It's a big success,” said Showkat Ahmad Dar, SP, North, Srinagar City.

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The Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested two more youths who had been helping the main accused in supplying and selling the drugs. One youth is from the Athwajan area in south Kashmir, while the other one is from the Safakadal area in Srinagar. All of them have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS).

The police have also found some links with people from outside Jammu and Kashmir in this case. The consignments and payments have been done via UPI to numbers that don’t belong to the Kashmir Valley.

“We are keeping a watch on the peddlers. Wherever we are recovering drugs from their possession, we are making the arrests. Like in this case also, around 150 bottles of codeine were recovered, and an FIR was registered against three drug peddlers. The drone and phones have been seized. Now we are also investigating the links that these people had so that we can get to the bottom of the case,” said Showkat Ahmad Dar, SP, North, Srinagar City.

Jammu and Kashmir Police have intensified the fight against narco terror across the region. Every day, the police have been making arrests and recovering narcotics worth crores of rupees. Some studies have shown that over 600,000 people are suffering from drug addiction in the Union Territory.