Srinagar, Nov 20: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) announced on Wednesday that it has apprehended a suspect wanted in connection with a 2020 narco-terrorism case in Kashmir, associated with a plot by banned terrorist organizations based in Pakistan to obtain and sell narcotics for financing terrorist activities.
In a press release, the NIA stated that Muneer Ahmad Banday, who had been on the run for the past four years, was a central figure in the scheme, which was designed to generate resources for perpetrating terrorism in J&K and other regions of India. The money was intended to support terrorist operations in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir through a network of overground workers (OGWs).
The spokesman noted that the conspiracy, which involved members of proscribed terrorist groups such as Lashkar-E-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), came to light in June 2020 when local police in Handwara (Kupwara) filed a case after seizing 2 kilograms of heroin and ₹20 lakh in cash during vehicle inspections at Kairo Bridge. The police stopped a vehicle driven by Abdul Momin Peer while it was traveling from Baramulla to Handwara, resulting in the confiscation. Further questioning of Abdul Momin Peer led to the discovery of an additional 15 kilograms of heroin and ₹1.15 crore in cash.
The NIA subsequently took over the investigation and registered the case as RC-03/2020/NIA/JMU on June 23, 2020, under various sections of the IPC, NDPS Act, and UA(P) Act, and has since submitted several chargesheets against a total of 15 individuals involved in case RC-03/2020/NIA/JMU. The agency continues its efforts to dismantle the narco-terror network and eliminate the roots of terrorist financing within the country, especially in Kashmir, the statement concluded.
