Jammu: The police and civil administration on Sunday launched a crackdown at an infamous drug hotspot in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district and demolished 33 structures illegally built by alleged drug offenders by encroaching government land worth around Rs 60 crore.
The demolition drive was carried out at Balole Khad in Bari Brahmana, identified by authorities as one of the major drug hotspots in the district.
Police said the illegally-raised structures were allegedly being used for storage, concealment and supply of narcotics, particularly heroin, and had become a safe haven for drug peddlers and habitual offenders.
Habitations had been built by encroaching on a government-owned industrial land, posing a serious threat to youth and public safety, they said.
Led by Samba Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anuj Kumar, and civil administration officials, the operation led to the retrieval of nearly 50 kanals of encroached land belonging to the state industrial development corporation, officials said. They said the area had been under continuous surveillance as several notorious drug peddlers operating from the locality are involved in more than 35 FIRs, including multiple Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act cases.
Among them, Mohd Baru of Balole Khad is involved in 10 FIRs and is absconding in connection with a warrant under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) was issued against him in January this year.
Manshu is involved in seven cases, while one Dahua Bibi is named in three FIRs, police said.
Farman Ali alias Munna is facing three NDPS cases, while Farooq Din alias Dana, Farooq Ali alias Kana, Haider alias Raju and Farman Din — all residents of the area — are also involved in several criminal and narcotics-related cases registered at Bari Brahmana police station, they said.
Balole Khad had been on the news earlier over alleged attacks on police teams who arrived to conduct anti-drug searches.
Officials said several drug suppliers and criminal elements were operating from the area and using the illegal structures for narcotics-related activities.
Authorities said boundary fencing of the retrieved land has been completed and floodlights have been installed to prevent fresh encroachments.
Police said the drive was part of the ongoing ‘Nasha Mukt Jammu Kashmir Abhiyan’ aimed at dismantling drug trafficking infrastructure and curbing narcotics supply networks in the region.
“Samba Police have adopted a zero-tolerance policy against drug peddling and such anti-narcotics operations will continue to dismantle the entire drug ecosystem,” officials said, adding that the action was aimed at safeguarding youth from drug abuse and maintaining public peace and order.
