New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is set to take over a drug smuggling case from Jammu Police to probe an alleged “terror angle”, ThePrint has learnt.
Sources in the agency said that a group was involved in sending heroin to Jammu to raise money for terror activities. The same group, the NIA said, was also involved in the trafficking of 15 packets of drugs on two previous occasions.
On 20 September, 61.420 kg of heroin worth crores of rupees in the international market and 1.245 kg of opium along with two pistols and 100 rounds of 9 mm ammunition were recovered, after an infiltration attempt from Pakistan along the International Border outpost in Jammu’s Arnia sector was foiled.
“The drug was concealed and wrapped in plastic packs and a plastic pipe around 12-foot-long was put across the border to slip in the contraband into the Indian territory,” a source in the NIA said.
Jammu Police had in September arrested six persons in connection with the case — Gurbakash Singh, Jash Raj Singh, Bishan Dass, Subash Chander, Ajeet Kumar, Sham Lal. A seventh accused, Guru Partap Singh, who had earlier managed to escape, was arrested in October.
“While Guru Partap Singh, a native of Tarn Taran, was the receiver of the contraband, Bishan and Ajeet were earlier arrested in 2005 Delhi bomb blast case,” the source said, adding that the men are a part of an “international racket”.
“It is an international syndicate and needs to be probed for narco terror. A lot of money is being generated. According to preliminary investigation, it appears that the contraband was being pumped in by Pakistan into India. The receivers here, who were being paid hefty amounts, would identify the location from where the contraband was sneaked in and then given to sellers. There is also a Dubai link, which needs to be probed,” the source added.
Money likely used to ‘fund terror activities’
According to a second source, Guru Partap Singh is suspected to have made crores in the drug business. The NIA will now look into how he was receiving these funds and where he was spending them.
“Investigation has revealed that the main receiver of the seized drug was Guru Partap Singh. While he was later arrested from Tarn Taran and contraband recovered from him, he has amassed a lot of wealth by this narco business. He has no explanation for the wealth he has. We suspect that the money was being used to fund terror activities,” the second source said.
Investigation by Jammu Police had revealed that Jash Raj Singh and Chander had gone to the zero-line on the International Border in September to collect a consignment at the behest of Lal.
Police revealed that both Dass and Ajeet had a history of drug cases. Ajeet’s brother, Sarfu, who is based outside India, is also wanted in various heroin smuggling cases in Jammu and Kashmir, they added.