War on Drugs | 403 arrested in Baramulla this year: Police

Baramulla: At least 403 persons involved in the narcotics trade were arrested this year till September in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

Police achieved success in the war against narcotic trade in Baramulla and seized huge quantities of narcotics and cash.

It also seized movable and immovable properties of some of the arrested narcotic smugglers.

A Police official in Baramulla said that 403 persons involved in narcotic-related activities had been arrested up to September this year.

He said that out of the 403 persons arrested, 62 had been detained under the Prevention of the Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act and the Public Safety Act (PSA).

Besides, 231 cases under the Narcotic-Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, have been registered so far.

The relentless efforts of the Police led to the seizure of a huge quantity of narcotics which include 4.262 kg heroin valued at Rs 5.96 crore in the international market, 2.670 kg brown sugar worth Rs 3.47 crore, 11.245 kg charas worth Rs 56.22 lakh, and 194.492 kg poppy straw and cannabis powder worth Rs 1.16 crore.

During the same period, the police seized 28 vehicles involved in the narcotic trade and seized Rs 1.13 crore cash.“The total value of the seized articles including the cash is around Rs 12.28 crore,” a Police spokesman said.

To hit the narcotic smugglers economically, the Police during the same period froze movable and immovable properties of some of the kingpins of the narcotic trade which include three residential houses besides three vehicles and Rs 1.2 crore cash.

“The frozen properties show our resolve to hit very hard on those who have raised their properties through narcotic trade,” the Police spokesman said.

Senior Superintend of Police (SSP) Baramulla, Amod Nagpure, leading this war on drugs in Baramulla district and the statistics show there is a decline in the cases related to narcotic-related activities, especially after June this year.

From January to June this year, there was an increase in drug peddling cases with the numbers surging from 10 to 40 in April alone.

“However, this trend reversed by July onwards with 18 cases registered in July followed by 15 in August and 18 cases in September,” a Police spokesman said.

The trend of decline in the drug peddling cases across the Baramulla district is being attributed to the strong commitment shown by the Police to eradicating the drug menace from society. While waging the war against drug addiction on various fronts, the Police have been consistently organising drug awareness programmes in mohallas and educational institutions.

The awareness programmes successfully shed light on the destructive effects of drug addiction.

The most remarkable initiative of the Police has been roping in the religious leaders and respectable citizens of Baramulla in the war against the drug menace as they have some influence over the different sections of the society, especially among the youth.

In one such interaction, SSP Baramulla Amod Nagpure while citing the example of one of the Imams of the Tangmarg area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district explained how as a responsible citizen he changed the lives of five youth in his area.

He said that after noticing behavioural changes among some of the youth in his area, the Imam approached the Police and sought to help their counselling.

“All the five youths were involved in drug addiction. After due counselling provided by Police, the youth got rid of the drug menace and are now enjoying a normal life,” Nagpure said in one of the interactions with the religious leaders.

“If all the members of the society will show the same responsibility, the drug menace will be eradicated within a stipulated time from the society,” he said.