NIA files chargesheet against six people in Handwara narco-terrorism case

The arrested persons, according to the NIA investigation, were working for Lashkar-e-Taiba to strengthen their activities in the Valley

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet against six accused in Handwara narco-terrorism case in a special court in Jammu on Saturday.

Abdul Momin Peer, Syed Iftikhar Andrabi, Islam-ul-Haq Peer, Afaq Ahmad Wani, Saleem Andrabi and Muneer Ahmad Banday have been charged by the NIA in the case.

In a statement a spokesperson of the NIA said that the chargesheet was filed against the accused persons in case RC-03/2020/NIA/JMU under sections 8, 21, 25 and 29 of NDPS Act, 1985, section 120B of IPC and sections 17, 38 and 40 of UA(P) Act, 1967.

He said Saleem Andrabi and Muneer Bandey, who are involved in the case are still absconding while four accused have been already arrested.

The J&K police had on June 11 busted a Pakistan-sponsored narco-terror module and arrested three terrorist associates in Handwara area of north Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara district. As many as 21 kgs of heroin, 1.35 crores cash and a cash counting machine was recovered.

On June 23 the NIA took over the probe of the case from J&K police after nod from the Union Home Ministry as it had inter-country and inter-state ramifications.

The arrested persons, according to the NIA investigation, were working for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to strengthen their activities in the Valley and were also misleading and motivating the local youth to join militant ranks.

The NIA investigation further revealed that accused persons including Momin Peer and Saleem Andrabi were involved in cross-border smuggling and supply of narcotic drug heroin in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country after procuring the same from their associates based abroad including Pakistan.

"Accused Iftikhar Andrabi and Abdul Momin Peer visited Pakistan several times during 2016-17 to meet the operatives of terrorist organisations LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen. The amount generated from the sale of Heroin was pumped by the accused to further the terrorist activities of LeT. Further investigation in the case is going on," the statement added.