Srinagar: The State Investigation Agency (SIA) Kashmir on Saturday claimed a major breakthrough in its ongoing probe into a Pakistan-sponsored narco-terror network with the arrest of a key handler from Bemina area of Srinagar.
As per a media statement, the accused, identified as Basharat Ali, son of Mohammad Sadeeq and a resident of Tad Karnah in Kupwara, had been evading arrest for nearly three years in connection with FIR No. 19/2022 registered by SIA Kashmir.
The case, the agency said, pertains to a Lashkar-e-Toiba-backed narco-terror module involved in the cross-border smuggling of narcotics and weapons through the Karnah sector. “Proceeds from the sale of narcotics were being channelled to finance terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement said.
With Basharat’s arrest, SIA said it has now apprehended four proclaimed offenders in the case and expects further leads to emerge from his interrogation.
The agency added that during the current year, SIA Kashmir has carried out multiple successful operations targeting narco-terror networks, resulting in the arrest of several key operatives linked to banned terror outfits.
