Found With Pistol, Heroin And Opium, 2 With Pak Gang Links Arrested In J&K

Two men have been arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Arnia sector for allegedly collecting arms and narcotics dropped by drones from Pakistan and supplying them to contacts in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, police said.

The arrested men have been identified as Rohit Kumar and Ajay, residents of Treva in Arnia. Police said they were in contact with Pakistan-based gangster and Khalistani operative Shehzad Bhatti through Instagram and had received at least two consignments dropped by drones near the International Border.

One Italian-made Beretta pistol, two magazines, four live rounds, around 500 grams of heroin and 500 grams of opium were recovered during the investigation, police said.

According to investigators, the racket came to light after Rohit Kumar was arrested and allegedly named Ajay during questioning.

Police said the two men were not mere local peddlers but part of a larger cross-border supply chain and had been collecting consignments dropped in agricultural fields near the International Border.

"After collecting the arms and narcotics consignment, they used to hand it over to their contacts in Punjab and other areas. Their role was that of suppliers and couriers. A few weeks ago, they had also supplied pistols to some elements in Punjab," an official privy to the investigation said.

Investigators said the first consignment had been dropped in an agricultural field in Arnia a few months ago.

The second consignment, which has now been recovered, was also allegedly airdropped from Pakistan using a drone. Police said the accused buried the packet near a tube-well to evade detection.

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Acting on information provided during the investigation, a police team recovered the arms and narcotics from the spot, police said.

SHO Arnia Gurmeet Singh confirmed the arrests and said the network was being investigated for its forward and backward linkages.

An FIR has been registered at Arnia Police Station under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act and Arms Act.

Security agencies have previously raised concerns over the use of drones to smuggle weapons and narcotics across the International Border. Investigators are now probing the wider network and the alleged recipients of the consignments.