Drug Peddler Arrested in J&K Heroin Bust Escapes NCB Custody
A drug peddler arrested in a major J&K heroin bust escaped NCB custody on Monday, triggering a search across the Jammu region.
An alleged drug peddler who was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district has escaped from custody. The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, just four days after his arrest.
The accused, identified as Aqib Bashir, is a resident of the Kakapora area in Pulwama district. He was taken into custody on September 3 when an NCB team intercepted a Jammu-bound bus at the Samba bus stand. Officials said nearly 522 grams of heroin was recovered from his possession.
The circumstances surrounding the escape remain unclear. However, authorities said an alert was sounded immediately after the incident, and a large-scale search operation has been launched across the Jammu region. Police and security agencies have set up checkpoints at key entry and exit points in Jammu district to trace the fugitive.
Bashir's arrest was part of a month-long NCB operation in the Jammu division that exposed two distinct smuggling routes used to push heroin into the Union Territory. The first route involves direct infiltration from Pakistan through the Uri sector, while the second is an indirect route via Punjab.
The investigation into Bashir's case led NCB officials to Ludhiana, Punjab, where a follow-up operation on September 4 resulted in the recovery of another 197 grams of heroin.
In a separate case linked to the Uri route, officials seized 5.160 kg of heroin from a vehicle in Jammu city's Panjtirthi area on August 22. Investigators believe that consignment originated in Pakistan and entered through the Uri sector. The trail from that seizure led to arrests of three Baramulla natives in Leh, Ladakh.
The escape comes amid heightened focus on narcotics control. Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently outlined a three-year roadmap to make India drug-free by 2029. In April, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launched a 100-day Nasha Mukt campaign in Jammu and Kashmir, which included the demolition of 81 properties belonging to alleged drug peddlers.
The property demolitions drew criticism from political parties, including the National Conference, Congress, and PDP, who called the actions selective and extra-judicial. Some former BJP councillors also protested the move.