SRINAGAR: In a decisive escalation of its campaign against drug trafficking, Jammu and Kashmir Police have attached properties worth approximately Rs 1.2 crore belonging to drug peddlers in multiple operations across South Kashmir’s Anantnag district. In a parallel action in Kulgam, a drug peddler was arrested with over four kilograms of contraband.
According to officials, the action in Anantnag was taken under the stringent provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. In one of the key cases, a single-storey residential house along with one kanal of land in the Sallar area of Anantnag was attached. The property, valued at around Rs 70 lakhs, belongs to Bashir Ahmad Wani, who is facing charges in FIR No. 65/2018 of Police Station Srigufwara, involving the recovery of a large quantity of poppy straw.
In another major development under FIR No. 35/2025, registered at Police Station Bijbehara, authorities attached a residential house and a vehicle registered under number JK02AV-1235, owned by Tajdar Amin Khan of Goriwan Bijbehara. Additionally, a shopping complex owned by Bilal Ahmad Itoo of Gund Nasir, Bijbehara, has also been seized.
Further, police have attached a vehicle bearing registration number HR16L-3657, belonging to Harjinder Singh of Mubarak Pur, Kapurthala, Punjab, in connection with FIR No. 213/2024 registered at Police Station Bijbehara.
The police stated that these seizures are aimed at dismantling the financial infrastructure of drug traffickers and have been carried out under Section 68-F of the NDPS Act. The total market value of the attached properties is estimated at Rs 1.2 crore.
“These actions reaffirm our commitment to tackle the drug menace not only by arresting those involved, but also by crippling the economic assets derived from illegal trade,” said a police spokesperson, adding that such operations act as a strong deterrent.
Meanwhile, in a separate operation in the Kulgam district, police arrested a drug peddler and recovered 4.6 kilograms of a substance resembling poppy straw. The suspect, identified as Bilal Ahmad Lone of Khee Jogipora, was intercepted at a checkpoint at Gundchahal Crossing in Shirpora by a team from Police Post Frisal. He has been booked under FIR No. 28/2025 at Police Station Yaripora, and an investigation is underway.
Police have urged the public to remain alert and share information related to drug peddling or other anti-social activities. Assuring complete confidentiality of informants, officials stressed that community cooperation is vital in the ongoing battle against narcotics that continue to endanger the lives and futures of the region’s youth.
