Absconding drug peddler nabbed from Jalandhar

JAMMU, September 10;
The Narcotics Control Bureau, J&K Police and Punjab Police successfully traced and apprehended a notorious drug peddler, a key link in a larger trans-border narco-terror module from Punjab’s Jalandhar, said officials on Thursday.

Aquib Bashir, a notorious drug trafficker had fled NCB custody in Jammu late Sunday and since then a manhunt had been launched to nab him.

“The NCB and other security agencies succeeded after a three-day long sustained search and tracking operation across J&K and Punjab,” said an official.

The NCB had also circulated photographs of the drug peddler and also sought public help in tracing him.

“Prompt coordination and intelligence sharing between J&K Police, Punjab Police and NCB led to the arrest of the accused”, said the official.

“After fleeing from Jammu, the accused reached Jalandhar via the Pathankot route,” the official informed and added that Bashir initially attempted to evade detection by taking shelter under the cover of darkness and hiding in a forest area near Narwal Fruit Mandi in Jammu.

“To conceal his identity, he clean-shaved himself, changed his clothes and altered his appearance,” said the officer

The notorious drug peddler subsequently used his contacts in Jalandhar to seek shelter and evade the search teams.

However, continuous intelligence inputs and coordinated field efforts enabled the agencies to track and narrow down his location.

The NCB, J&K Police and Punjab Police apprehended him when he was reportedly preparing to move towards Delhi or another state, said the official.