The Jammu Kashmir Police on June 11 demolished a residential structure worth approximately Rs 2 crore in the Rainawari area. The police have said that the building had been constructed on encroached state land using proceeds from narcotics trafficking.
According to a police statement, the property belonged to Sheikh Tasaduq of Mumkhan Mohalla, Rainawari, who is facing multiple cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Police said an inquiry into the accused’s assets established that the concrete structure had been constructed on illegally occupied government land and was allegedly financed through earnings from drug-related activities. The demolition also led to the retrieval of valuable government land from illegal occupation, the statement said.
The accused is involved in NDPS cases registered at Awantipora and Budgam police stations, while his spouse is also facing an NDPS case registered in Pulwama, according to the police.
Officials said the property was identified as an allegedly illegally acquired asset linked to narcotics-related activities and was demolished after completion of the required legal formalities in the presence of Revenue Department officials. The action forms part of ongoing efforts to curb drug trafficking and target assets allegedly generated through the illegal narcotics trade.
Meanwhile, in continuing action against those involved in drug related cases, hundreds of police cases have been registered and action taken in many. According to official accounts,
Since April 11, when the Nasha Mukt Jammu Kashmir Abhiyaan was launched, approximately 1,000 FIRs have been registered; 1,025 arrests, and 60 traffickers detained under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PIT-NDPS Act). The enforcement drive, a brainchild of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, has also seen the cancellation of 668 driving licenses and recommendations to revoke 124 passports.
“This people’s movement has connected every heart across J&K with a shared purpose: to make their village, their town, drug-free. This campaign belongs to the people. Parents, teachers, religious leaders, and young volunteers have stood shoulder to shoulder with the administration. The road ahead is long. The fight against drugs will take sustained effort, constant alertness, and unity,” Sinha said at an anti-drug rally.
This campaign is hitting at the financial backbone of terrorism as every rupee spent on drugs fuels extremist violence, and narco-terrorists survive on that blood money. By seeking to halt the drug trade, the lifeline that sustains terror networks is being hit, according to officials.
For many years, J&K endured attacks on society by narco-terrorists. In 2021, LG Sinha had first started working for a drug-free J&K and over the years, the dark web of drugs has been demolished. He has led rallies in most districts of the Union Territory (UT) of J&K.
The strategy being followed now is a holistic model of disruption, recovery and demolition of drug related trade.
On Friday, LG Sinha will lead yet another anti-drug rally in Ganderbal district.
