SIA arrests proclaimed narco-terror handler linked to LeT module in Srinagar

STC NEWS DESK
SRINAGAR, NOVEMBER 01 (STC): The State Investigation Agency (SIA) Kashmir on Friday in a statement disclosed the arrest of a key handler of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT)-linked module from Srinagar’s Bemina area, marking yet another success in its ongoing crackdown on cross-border narcotics and terror financing operations.
The accused, identified as Basharat Ali, son of Mohammad Sadeeq, a resident of Tad Karnah, Kupwara, had been evading arrest for nearly three years in connection with FIR No. 19/2022, a narco-terror case registered by the agency.
“The accused was apprehended today by a special team of SIA Kashmir after years of unrelenting efforts. He had been absconding since the registration of the case and was finally traced and arrested from Bemina area of Srinagar,” the SIA said in a statement.
Giving details of the case, the investigators said, “The case pertains to a narco-terror module sponsored by Pakistan-based handlers of Lashkar-e-Toiba, who were engaged in smuggling of narcotics and arms from across the border. The proceeds generated were pumped into terror financing networks to sustain militancy in J&K.”
The SIA said that Basharat Ali’s arrest makes him the fourth proclaimed absconder to be apprehended in the case, and further investigations are likely to unravel more linkages of the cross-border network.
“With this arrest, the SIA is confident of unearthing further connections and financial conduits used by the narco-terror syndicate,” it said.
The agency added: “SIA Kashmir has carried out several successful operations this year to dismantle narco-terror networks operating under the garb of cross-border trade. These operations have led to the arrest of multiple key operatives associated with proscribed terror organisations.”
(Straight Talk Communications)