From Poonch to Saudi Arabia: J&K narco terror module uncovered

SIA unearths narco-terror module with links to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

After months of pursuit, the Special Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir uncovered a narco-terror module with connections to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

It was on May 30, 2023, when the Sikh Light Infantry of the Indian Army engaged in a gunbattle in Poonch, as terrorists from across the border (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) attempted to smuggle narcotics, arms, and explosives into India with the assistance of four local associates waiting along the border fence.

In the encounter, an Indian soldier and one of the local associates were injured. The security personnel succeeded in apprehending three of the associates, while a fourth managed to escape. Official records reveal that 30 kilograms of narcotics and 20 kilograms of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were recovered from them.

Security in Jammu’s Poonch district had been heightened after terrorist attacks on April 20 and May 5 this year, which claimed the lives of 10 Indian soldiers.

With respect to the smuggling of arms and explosives, there are as many as 28 villages near the fence in Poonch district, which have been identified as vulnerable, according to a senior official.

With three individuals involved in the arms smuggling apprehended, a case was registered in Poonch, and subsequent investigations were conducted by the SIA to uncover the network.

During the investigation, the three accused said they had been tasked by a local handler in Poonch, identified as Mohammed Javed, to receive the cache from across the border.

However, with the security forces foiling the terrorists’ attempt, Javed had also fled from the district, and was arrested during the agency’s operation in Delhi on August 25, 2023.

“Javed’s arrest was a major breakthrough for us. It led us to expose the entire network involved in smuggling weapons and narcotics into India for carrying out terror attacks,” said Shobhit Saxena, Senior Superintendent of SIA (Jammu).

Javed informed the investigation agency that he had been promised Rs 2 lakh by a local resident, Liaquat, who runs a grocery store, for arranging individuals to receive the consignment.

As the investigation into the case progressed, Liaquat was also arrested, and his connections were found to extend to Saudi Arabia.

“Liaquat was working on behalf of a few individuals from Poonch based in Saudi Arabia, who are in contact with many Pakistani handlers, and orchestrate conspiracies with their support. We have identified these individuals, and appropriate action has been initiated,” said Saxena.

The individuals in Saudi Arabia have established a significant network with Pakistani handlers for smuggling arms, money, explosives, and narcotics into India.

On October 20, the SIA achieved another major breakthrough when it arrested the fourth accused, identified as Mohammad Iqbal, from the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, where he was employed as a labourer.

His arrest was made possible through technical and human intelligence. With his arrest, the agency is looking into the syndicate, which implicates many individuals who have accumulated substantial wealth in a short period.