Monday, February 24, 2014

Narco-terrorism: Terrorist nabbed with heroin

This is the first time a banned terrorist outfit Hizb-Ul-Mujahidin member was caught with huge haul of drugs worth Rs 35 crores in the national capital meant to raise funds to carry out terror strikes in India.

The anti-terror unit of Delhi Police – Special Cell -- exposed narco-terrorism trail with arrest of constable of Jammu and Kashmir police who is a member of Pakistan-based Hizb-Ul-Mujahidin and was carrying out drug trafficking in India.

The constable has been identified as Khurshid Alam, who is a resident of Guthali Bagh in Ganderbal of Jammu and Kashmir Police. “He was arrested from Humayun Tomb in Nizamuddin while he was giving drugs to two truck drivers of Perambudur district of Tamil Nadu -- B. Ganesh, and M. Senthil,” said Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) S N Srivastava.

A total of 10 Kgs of heroin, worth approximately Rs 35 in the international market has been recovered from their possession.

“As per the investigations conducted so far, the kingpin of this syndicate is a Kuwait-based Ali,” said Srivastava adding that Ali orchestrates the activities of this drug cartel over phone and through internet telephony. Ali co-ordinates with Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Hizb-Ul-Mujahidin members for channeling drug supplies into India.

Arrested Constable Khurshid revealed that Fayyaz, an area commander of Hizb-ul-Mujahidin, presently based in Abottabad in Pakistan has been sending consignments of drugs through his conduits active in Uri sector of Jammu  and Kashmir. “Fayyaz uses the money they he get from this trade to carry out terror activities,” said the officer.

The officer said that Fayyaz has pumped around contraband worth around 200 crore in India and most of the time Khurshid Alam was involved. “From August last year, Khurshid Alam has came to Delhi around eight to ten times with drug consignment,” said the officer.

Fayyaz is a known cadre of Hizb-ul-Mujahidin who was active in Ganderbal area of Kashmir valley till 2006 and thereafter, returned to Pakistan and has been since acting as a launch commander for terrorists who infiltrate into India to carry out terrorist strikes.

In August, 2013, Fayyaz  sent five militants sent who were killed in a counter-insurgency operation in Penag area of Ganderbal in Jammu and Kashmir. “We are probing whether Khurshid Alam was involved in five killed terrorists to infiltrate in the country,” said the officer.

The police is probing Alam role of provide logistic support to these terrorists.  During interrogation, the police have also found that Alam and Fayyaz were distant relatives.

“They were on nabbed on January 19, following a tip-off. The police came to know that two people from Tamil Nadu, who had come to Delhi, will be collecting drugs from a Kashmiri supplier near the Humayun Tomb in Nizamuddin. A raid was conducted and accused B. Ganesh, M. Senthil  and Constable Khurshid Alam were apprehended with heroin,” said the officer.

During interrogation, Alam told police he was in touch with Fayyaz had received consignments from his several conduits in Srinagar which was onward carried by him to Delhi, where South Indian members of this cartel received the consignments’ for onward delivery in Chennai.

He further disclosed that he had been visiting Delhi for over the last one year and has, so far, supplied around 80 kgs of heroine to several conduits and cartel members. On every occasion, persons belonging to South India had been the receivers from Khurshid.

During interrogations of Ganesh and Senthil, they told police disclosed that they are member of an international drug syndicate being run by Ali, who hails from Tamil Nadu and is presently based in Kuwait.

A man named of a code name of man - Gopi (identity yet to be established) -- operates as the resident manager on behalf of Ali and looks after South India operations by managing carriers and suppliers and controls their movements. Ganesh and Senthil were roped into the trade by some downward links of Gopi against the promise of handsome money for each successful receipt of consignments from Delhi and their safe delivery in Tamil Nadu.

“Efforts are underway to probe deeper into the narco-terrorism nexus and to establish the identities of other Indian as well as overseas-based terrorist of this syndicate,” added the officer.

ENDS

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