1 week ago
Kashmiri Pandit Arrested in Jammu Narco-Terror Financing Probe
Police in Jammu arrested a man named Manoj Kumar Bhat, also called Pintu.
They accuse him of helping move illegal drugs and sending money from drug sales to terrorists.
Investigators say the drugs came from across the Line of Control and were distributed in Jammu and Kashmir.
The case started in 2022 after police found heroin with two other people in Sopore.
Police say Bhat avoided them for almost four years by changing hiding places and usually keeping his phone switched off.
They located him after he turned on one of his phones.
Officers say they found heroin and other items at his home.
Kashmiri Pandit community members said they were shocked by the accusations.
The agency says the case may reveal a larger network linked to Hizbul Mujahideen, but the allegations remain subject to legal proceedings.
The State Investigation Agency arrested 35-year-old Manoj Kumar Bhat, alias Pintu, in Jammu after searching for him for nearly four years.
The agency alleges Bhat collected and helped distribute narcotics smuggled across the Line of Control, with proceeds directed toward terrorist activities.
The case began after investigators recovered one kilogram of heroin from Zeeshan Ahmad Sofi and Waseem Ahmad Khan in Nowpora, Sopore, in 2022.
A search of Bhat’s residence reportedly recovered 15 grams of heroin, electronic devices and a motorcycle; officials said additional narcotics were seized during the wider investigation.
The arrest shocked Kashmiri Pandit residents, who said the allegations were difficult to accept and feared damage to the community’s reputation.
- Who
- The State Investigation Agency arrested Manoj Kumar Bhat, alias Pintu, and has accused him and other suspects of involvement in a narcotics and alleged terror-financing network.
- What
- Bhat was arrested over alleged involvement in collecting, distributing and selling narcotics, with the proceeds allegedly channelled toward terrorist activities.
- Where
- Bhat was arrested in Jammu; the case concerns narcotics allegedly smuggled across the Line of Control and distributed in Jammu and Kashmir.
- When
- The related FIR was registered on June 3, 2022; Bhat was arrested after allegedly evading investigators for nearly four years.
- Why
- The SIA alleges that proceeds from narcotics sales were used to finance or sustain terrorist activities.
Agency Allegations
Community Response
Bhat’s alleged role
Agency Allegations
The SIA says Bhat collected narcotics smuggled from across the Line of Control and helped facilitate their sale and distribution, with proceeds allegedly supporting terrorist activities.
Community Response
Kashmiri Pandit residents said they had no known association with Bhat and found it difficult to believe that a member of their community was involved in Pakistan-linked terror financing.
Scope of the network
Agency Allegations
The agency describes the case as part of a wider conspiracy allegedly involving Pakistan- and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir-based operatives linked to Hizbul Mujahideen.
Community Response
Community members emphasized that Kashmiri Pandits had themselves fled the Valley because of militant violence and said the allegations were damaging to the community’s reputation.
Security context
Agency Allegations
Officials say disrupting the narcotics supply chain and its financial proceeds is necessary to weaken terrorist support structures.
Community Response
The arrest came amid community concerns about renewed militant threats and reports that some Pandit employees were asked to work from home, although the government denied those reports.
Key facts
- Accused
- Manoj Kumar Bhat, also known as Pintu, aged 35
- Investigating agency
- State Investigation Agency of the Jammu and Kashmir Police
- Related FIR
- Registered by SIA Kashmir on June 3, 2022
- Initial recovery
- One kilogram of heroin was recovered from two suspects at Nowpora in Sopore
- Search of Bhat’s residence
- Fifteen grams of heroin, electronic devices and a motorcycle were reportedly seized
- Wider case seizures
- Investigators later reported recovering 7 kilograms of poppy straw and 4 kilograms of poppy seeds
- Anti-narcotics enforcement
- Police reportedly registered more than 2,292 FIRs, arrested nearly 2,600 people and seized about 1,431 kilograms of contraband during the cited campaign
Quotes
Resident of Subhash Nagar
Local resident of Subhash Nagar, a neighborhood in Jammu frequented by Valley migrants
“It is quite surprising. How can a man believing in ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ be involved in narco-terror? It is too difficult to believe.”
telegraphindia.com
“Badnaam kar ke rakh dia (he has given us a bad name)”
indianexpress.com
SIA spokesman
Spokesperson for the State Investigation Agency of Jammu and Kashmir Police
“The SIA investigation has uncovered a wider narco-terror conspiracy allegedly involving Pakistan/PoK-based operatives linked with the Hizbul Mujahideen... Bhat allegedly played a role in facilitating the sale and distribution of narcotics in the Jammu division.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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