MIRPUR (AJK)  -  The AJK Kotli Police claimed to have smashed a racket of international smugglers and arrested four of its members including the ringleader.  The police also recovered 8.600kg of heroin, worth over Rs150 million in the international market from their possession. The gang was busted in a special crackdown launched on the directives of SSP Raja Irfan Salim.

Addressing a crowded news conference here, Senior Superintendent of Police Kotli Raja Irfan Salim informed that the suspects were lassoed when they were ready to traffic the contraband, concealed in leather jackets, abroad. He said that the gang had been engaged, since long, in the unlawful practice of supplying heroin to Britain through different “safe means and practices.”

The district police chief continued that a special police team comprising DSP (Headquarters) Khawaja Abdul Qayyum, Inspector Suhail Yousaf, SHO Kotli Police Tahir Ayub and SHO Naar Police Zuhaib Tahir, on a tip-off, carried out a raid in Naar village.

The police managed to arrest four the accused identified as: Attaur Rehman, son of Naseer Shah; Abdul Ghaffar, son of Muhammad Sadiq; Saleem Qadri, son of Sadiq Butt and Ghulam Fareed, son of Bagh Ali, residents of Naar village and Kotli. The police, the SSP added, recover ten leather jackets carrying 8.6kg heroin which was to be smuggled to the UK.

Police also confiscated a Toyota Corolla from the scene. SSP said the police have stepped up efforts for arrest of other members of the gang including Hafiz Mansoor Sultani, son of Farooq Ahmed of Sehensa and Habib Shah, son of Gull Hussain Shah, resident of Pang Peeran area of Kotli.

 - who have reportedly gone underground in Dubai to skip arrest.

The accused Hafiz Mansoor Sultani is said to have been Kotli district ameer of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan. Other accused identified during the course of preliminary investigation included Raja Khalid, son of Raja Munawar; Habib Shah and a lady Shaheen wife of Habib Shah. Further investigation is in progress.

Altaf Hameed Rao