Runaway Drug Smuggler Tries Makeover To Give Cops The Slip, Gets Caught

In a desperate bid to outsmart security agencies, drug trafficker Aqib Bashir shaved off his beard, changed his clothes and hid in secluded spots - but a three-day multi-state manhunt finally caught up with him.

Bashir, who had escaped from the custody of the Narcotics Control Bureau in Jammu, was re-arrested in Jalandhar, Punjab, in a joint operation by the NCB, J&K Police and Punjab Police.

Officials said after his escape, Bashir hid in Jammu as investigators recovered vital clues from a forested area near Narwal's Fruit Mandi, Narwal. He then slipped towards Punjab via Pathankot, travelling mostly under the cover of darkness, before taking shelter in Jalandhar with the help of his contacts.

Despite his altered appearance, sustained intelligence-sharing and coordinated ground action between J&K and Punjab Police helped track him down - just as he was allegedly planning to flee to Delhi or another state.

Bashir was arrested on September 3 after a consignment of heroin was recovered from him at Samba New Bus Stand. He is considered a key link in a larger narcotics network.

His re-arrest is part of a month-long NCB crackdown, in which 6.92 kg of heroin was seized in four separate operations and six accused were arrested, with an estimated international market value of Rs 35-48 crore.