Our Corresponden

Srinagar, February 22

The State Investigation Agency (SIA), Kashmir, on Wednesday said it had arrested three persons, including a woman, for smuggling around 24-kg narcotics worth crores of rupees from Pakistan.

To target the financial networks of militants and destroy their ecosystem and support structure completely, the SIA conducted searches at multiple locations in Anantnag, Pulwama, Budgam and Baramulla on Monday and Tuesday, a spokesperson of the SIA said. The properties searched on Tuesday included the premises of Abdul Rashid Bhat of Awantipora, Danish Farooq of Budgam, Abdul Rashid Mir of Sopore and Ovais Gul Bhat of Anantnag, he said.

Last year, the SIA had registered a case under the NDPS Act and Sections 120-B and 121 of the IPC.

The SIA learnt that an investigation of the case had so far unearthed a narco-terror module that was being operated by proscribed terrorist organisations across the border in coordination with Srinagar Central Jail-based handlers, the spokesperson said.

The investigations established so far that the syndicate had succeeded in smuggling around 24-kg narcotics worth crores of rupees from Pakistan, sold it to dealers at different places, collected the sale proceeds and used a large portion of the proceeds for supporting and nurturing terror activities, he said.