SRINAGAR: The National Investigation Agency on Friday claimed to have recovered proceeds of narcotics worth Rs 91 lakh in the Handwara narco-terror case in which 21kg heroin and over Rs 1 crore cash were seized last year from members of a drug syndicate operating in J&K. On March 1, the agency had arrested five people from Srinagar and Jammu. Based on their statements, searches were conducted and the amount recovered.
The cash was found concealed in a field in Gurwal village in Samba district. Further investigation revealed that one of the arrested men, Romesh Kumar, had received the amount — obtained from the sale of narcotics — from drug smugglers based in Kashmir Valley for personal use as well as channelization to different terrorist groups, an NIA spokesperson said.
“Handwara Police initially registered a case in June last year after seizing Rs 20 lakh along with 2kg heroin were from the SUV of one Abdul Momin Peer during a routine check of vehicles at Handwara’s Kairo Bridge,” the spokesperson had earlier said. Later that month, the agency took over the case and filed a chargesheet at a special NIA court in Jammu last December against six accused including Peer.