J-K govt terminates 6 employees including 5 policemen, teacher over "narco-terrorism" links

The terminated officials have been identified as Head Constable Farooq Ahmad Sheikh, Constables Khalid Hussian Shah, Rahmat Shah, Rahmat Shah, Irshad Ahmad Chalkoo, Saif Din and Nazam Din (teacher).

According to top sources in the Jammu and Kashmir government, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha invoked 311 (2) (c) of the Constitution of India to sack the six employees after an investigation revealed that they were part of a "narco-terror network" run by Pakistan's ISI and terror outfits operating from its soil.

Sources said that Jammu and Kashmir police collected incriminating material evidence against the accused officials, that revealed that police constables worked as collaborators.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had earlier said, "Narco-terror is one of the biggest threats to the country's security and war on Narco-terror network is a critical component of the war on terrorism to eliminate terror ecosystem and to ensure peace and prosperity in J&K".

J&K Police has earlier seized the properties worth crores of many narco dealers, busting several networks.

"Every single rupee earned out of narcotics will be traced to every single account and every single property. Owners of narco-profits be it private citizens or moles in government or police or any other organisation shall be held accountable and prevented from ingesting it," DGP RR Swain had earlier said.

The sources added that the administration is operating with the whole of the government approach and it has intensified efforts to rid the government system of elements involved in narcotics funding terror. With current termination, the government has dismissed a total of eight employees within a month who were involved in narco-terror activities at the behest of Pakistan's ISI and its terror outfits.

The sources said that accused Head Constable Farooq Ahmad Sheikh and his associates had received a huge consignment of brown sugar from drug smugglers across the LoC in Pakistan-Occupied J&K and thereafter, they used to sell the contraband among peddlers in J&K and other parts of India.

"Being a resident of village Ibkoote in Tanghdar Karnah, Kupwara (the village is situated just about 5-6 kilometres away from the Line of Control (LoC) and the area is hypersensitive in terms of national security), used his expertise of the local terrain and topography to establish contacts with narcotic drug smugglers across the border in PoJK and was at the forefront of running Narco-terror network," the sources said.

Constable Khalid Hussian Shah was a part of the infamous trio of Rahmat Shah of Haridal Karnah Kupwara and Farooq Ahmad Sheikh of Ibkote Karnah Kupwara. Khalid Hussian Shah allegedly exploited his position in the police to facilitate the smooth transportation and sale of drugs. Being a man in uniform made him less likely to be suspected, allowing him to go unnoticed at police checkpoints. He used his police identity card to avoid detection and evade searches of his vehicle, including those of his passengers. He was arrested under sections 8/29 NDPS Act of Police Station Kupwara.

"In addition to Rahmat Shah, his brother Mir Hyder Shah was also involved in the illegal trade of narcotics as obtained across the border. He was arrested in Jammu with 4 kgs of brown sugar in 2016 and was later detained under PSA as well. This indicates a propensity of the family in general and he in particular penetrating narcotic trade, long before it reared its ugly head in the present form and shape," the sources said.

Being one of the early promoters of narcotic trade in the area as well as taking advantage of being a part of J&K Police, he enticed some other people who later turned into hardcore peddlers to be finally booked under the law.

"The fact remains that heroin and brown sugar, which does not grow or is cultivated in Indian Territory, is inextricably linked with terrorism and every gram of it being peddled or consumed in India comes from Pakistan through several networks with the sole aim of destabilizing the security situation especially in J&K for the larger design of secession of J&K from India," Sources further added.

According to sources, Constable Irshad Ahmad Chalkoo was exposed on April 3, 2020, when Handwara Police along with other sister agencies cordoned off village Shalpora Langate, Handwara after receiving information regarding the presence of terrorists in the house of one Abdul Razaq Bhat.

During a search operation, two terrorist associates of the proscribed terrorist organization LeT, namely Azad Ahmad Bhat resident of Shalpora Langate and Altaf Ahmad Baba of Seelo Babagund Handwara were apprehended by security forces and during their search, a huge cache of illegal arms and ammunition were recovered from them which led to a formal registration of the case.

"On their disclosure, five more terrorist associates of the LeT terror outfit namely Mohd Rafi Sheikh of Langate, Burhan Mushtaq Wani of Tulwari Langate, Parvaiz Ahmad Chopan of Shartpora Langate, Mudasir Ahmad Pandith of Langate and Irshad Ahmad Chalkoo of Silikote Uri, Baramulla were arrested during the investigation," the sources said.

The investigation agency recovered 1 pistol, 2 pistol magazines, 8 rounds of pistol and 1 grenade from Irshad Ahmad Chalkoo. Further, it was found that he was in close contact with two Kashmiri-origin terrorists based in PoJK namely Sultan Bhat of Kralpora and Javid Ahmad of Hathlanga of Uri through an encrypted messaging application and had received arms/ammunition, which he was supposed to deliver to the terrorists of LeT terror outfit. The said adversary had promised Irshad that he would be paid Rs 1 lakh for delivering arms/ammunition, the sources said.

"He provided effective support to the terrorists with precision, exploiting the system's blind spots that he was supposed to safeguard. His uniform served both as a shield and a weapon, ensuring that suspicion seldom fell on him. He could arrange for transportation of illegal arms/ammunitions without fear of random checks, his police credentials offering a nearly impenetrable disguise. Rather than supporting his department in the fight against terrorism, which was his legal and professional duty, he chose to become a collaborator," the sources said.

Nazam Din, who was a teacher, and his associate Qamar Din (an Over Ground Worker of Hizbul Mujahidin (HM) terror Outfit) used to meet very frequently near Bus Stand Poonch. During one such meeting, he received a total of Rs 10 lakh from Qamar Din, all derived from these illegal proceeds of narco-terror. These proceeds were ingeniously funnelled and invested via one Rizwan Sheikh in a spice business, with the ultimate aim of making the terrorist-secessionist ecosystem a self-financing and self-sustaining campaign, as per the sources.

The investigation further revealed that Nazam Din became a key handler of a narco-terror network run by PoJK-based terrorists Mohd Bashir alias Tikka Khan and Mohd Latief. In September 2022, Mohd Bashir and Mohd Latief (both J&K-origin terrorists based in PoJK) sent a huge consignment of narcotics consisting of 15 Packets of Heroin weighing around 15 Kgs from across the LoC. Of these about 5 Kgs of Heroin was received by Nazam Din and was to be delivered to some Punjab-based drug peddler on a commission of Rupees 2 lakh.

He established contacts with Punjab-based drug smugglers and called them to Poonch and was about to deliver the consignment of illegal narcotics to them but before he could do so he was arrested by the Punjab Police party on October 1, 2022, along with 5 Kgs of Heroin at Main Town Poonch. Subsequently, he was booked under section 2-C/25/29 NDPS Act at Police Station Special Task Force (SPF) SAS Nagar Punjab.

The sources said that accused Saif Din was part of a network that conspired jointly with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terrorists operating from Pakistan namely Javid Ahmad Chalkoo, Hamidullah Khuroo, and others accused of willfully and intentionally smuggling narcotics and generating and distributing narco-terror funds among the OGWs/other supporters, of terrorism on the directions and in connivance with terrorists and accordingly he was arrested in the instant case on December 28, 2023.

"He had generated a total amount of Rs 2.04 crore through narco-trade which was pumped into funding the secessionist and terror activities. The actions of Saif Din reveal him as a deeply motivated and committed Narco-Terror module, as well as an over ground worker (OGW) for the terrorists of the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terror outfit," the sources said.

"Previously, the terrorist landscape in Kashmir did not involve narcotics. The integration of narcotics into the terrorism scenario in J&K reflects a shift in ISI's strategy towards its Kashmir operations: financing terrorism internally and introducing a layer of deniability by involving dubious individuals in weapon and drug smuggling into J&K," he added. (ANI)