Srinagar, Sep 17: The State Investigation Agency (SIA) Kashmir on Tuesday arrested Zafraan Khan, a notorious narcotics smuggler linked to a major narco-terror network, who had been evading arrest for over three years.
According to an official statement, Khan, son of Shafi Ullah Khan and a resident of Mohra Dawran in Uri (Baramulla district), was apprehended by a special SIA team in Kathua district. Authorities said the arrest marks a “severe blow” to Pakistan-backed terror modules operating in Jammu and Kashmir.
The module was involved in smuggling narcotics through the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector, later distributing them across Kashmir Valley and Jammu region. Proceeds from the sale were funneled to sustain terrorist activities in the Union Territory, the statement noted.
The case relates to FIR No. 13/2022, registered under sections 8/21, 29 of the NDPS Act and sections 13, 17, 18, 38, 40 of the UAPA. It involves the recovery of 1 kg heroin, 7 kg poppy straw, and 4 kg poppy seeds. A chargesheet has already been filed against five members of the module, and officials believe Khan’s arrest will help trace both forward and backward linkages to dismantle the wider network.
The SIA has been intensifying its crackdown on narco-terror operations in recent months. Just last week, another absconding terror handler, Abdul Rashid Bhat, was arrested in Pulwama after more than two years on the run.
Officials said these successive arrests underscore SIA Kashmir’s unrelenting efforts to weaken the narco-terror ecosystem in the region.