SRINAGAR: In a first-of-its-kind action, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday demolished a shopping complex belonging to an alleged drug peddler in Pulwama district.
As part of an intensified anti-drug crackdown, police also froze properties worth Rs 2.25 crore, attached a house, and cancelled a driving licence in separate actions across south Kashmir.
Officials said the demolished property, owned by alleged peddler Mukhtar Ahmad in the Rakhi Lajura area of Pulwama, had been illegally constructed on state land using proceeds from drug trafficking. The demolition was carried out in the presence of police and civil authorities, and the encroached land has been reclaimed. Authorities said the action followed an assessment under the NDPS Act, which established that the property was built from illicit income.
In a related development, police in Anantnag froze four residential properties under Section 68-F of the NDPS Act, belonging to Rayees Ahmed Dar, Sabzar Ahmad Dar, Mudasir Ahmed Dar, and Zahid Ahmad Dar, all residents of Tulkhan, Bijbehara in Anantnag.
“Preliminary investigations have revealed that these properties were acquired through proceeds generated from illegal narcotics activities,” the police official said adding the cumulative market value of the frozen properties is estimated to be approximately Rs 2.25 crore.
Police also cancelled the driving licence of alleged drug peddler Shahzada Suvaid of Batagund in Tral, Pulwama, in connection with a case registered under the NDPS Act. In another action, a double-storey house worth Rs 25 lakh belonging to Sajad Ahmad Mir in Bongam village in Shopian in south Kashmir was attached after being identified as property acquired through illegal drug trade.
As part of the ongoing drive, law enforcement agencies arrested 17 drug peddlers in multiple operations across Anantnag, Shopian, Budgam and Kulgam, recovering significant quantities of contraband substances.
The crackdown is part of the Union Territory’s 100-day ‘Nasha Mukt J&K Abhiyan’ launched last week to dismantle drug networks amid a rising trend of substance abuse. According to estimates by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, over 1.3 million adults in J&K use addictive substances, with opioids being the most commonly consumed.
J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has warned that drug smugglers' assets will be seized, ringleaders prosecuted, and punishment will be delivered swiftly.
“Under the revised SOP, we have taken a crucial decision to revoke passports, driving licenses, Aadhaar numbers, and arms licenses of smugglers involved in drug trafficking. If they are absconding, a Look Out Circular will be issued immediately. Besides, their movable and immovable properties will be attached under the NDPS Act, bank accounts frozen, and financial investigation will be launched,” Sinha said.