Inter-state drugs racket busted in J&K, 3 held

Police on Saturday busted an inter-state drug racket in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district and arrested three people, officials said.
Acting on input about a consignment of narcotic drugs being transported from New Delhi to Srinagar, police established multiple checkpoints along the route in Anantnag, a police spokesperson said.
During checking, a vehicle was intercepted at Doonipora Bijbehra, with three persons onboard, the spokesperson added.
They were identified as Monty Singh, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, and Ashish Bardawaj and Rahul — both residents of Chhatarpur, New Delhi.
During the search, police recovered 413 bottles of codeine phosphate concealed in the car’s door panels, he said.
The three accused have been arrested and shifted to Bijbehara police station, the spokesperson added.
Further investigation revealed that the consignment was reportedly intended for delivery in Sopore and Srinagar. Acting swiftly, multiple raids were conducted, resulting in the detention of a local smuggler from Sopore for questioning, the official said.
Cooperation with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in New Delhi led to a raid at a warehouse in Noida’s Sector 135, where a substantial quantity of Codeine was recovered, the spokesperson said.
The key individuals behind the racket, Sachin Rana and Arun Rana, all residents of Faridabad, have been identified and efforts to apprehend them are ongoing, he said.