Srinagar Police have busted a large interstate narcotics syndicate allegedly operating from Srinagar. Eight people have been arrested, while drugs, cash, gold, luxury items and a firearm were seized during raids conducted across Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Uttar Pradesh. Investigators are also examining possible links to anti-national elements.
Major interstate narcotics network uncovered in Srinagar
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Srinagar Sandeep Chakravarty said the case involved a well-organised criminal network rather than a routine drug arrest. According to the police, the syndicate was sourcing banned pharmaceutical drugs and narcotics from outside Jammu and Kashmir before distributing them across the Valley through a structured supply chain.
The investigation began after police received leads during a narcotics probe. As officers tracked the suspects and examined their links, they uncovered what officials described as one of the largest organised drug trafficking networks operating in Srinagar, with connections extending to several states outside Jammu and Kashmir.
To dismantle the operation, multiple police teams conducted coordinated raids at several locations in Srinagar as well as in Chandigarh, Ambala in Haryana, and other areas of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. SSP Chakravarty also thanked Punjab Police for their cooperation during the investigation.
Eight arrested, two accused still absconding
Police have so far arrested eight accused who were allegedly part of different stages of the narcotics supply chain. The arrested individuals have been identified as Mohammad Waseem Zargar, Haris Hameed Malla, Aqib Saleem Dar, Inam Ahmad Zargar, Sahib Ahmad Ganaie, Ansar Hussain Bhat, Peer Shakoor and Haroon Pandit.
Two accused, identified as Faizan Firdous Khanday alias Farzan Pujj and Mohammad Shahvar Aleem of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, remain absconding. Police said efforts are underway to trace and arrest them.
According to SSP Chakravarty, investigators have established forward and backward linkages within the network, including financial transactions and banking connections.
Drugs, cash, gold and luxury items seized
The scale of the recoveries has highlighted the extent of the alleged operation. During the raids, police seized:
- 2,19,425 pharmaceutical tablets and capsules
- 3.830 kg of codeine-containing liquid, including containers
- Approximately 40 grams of a heroin-like substance
- About Rs 85.75 lakh in cash
- 108 gold coins, gold biscuits and other gold ornaments worth crores of rupees
- Two Rolex watches
- One Dior handbag
- One DSLR camera with lens
- One iPhone 16 Pro Max
- One pistol with two empty magazines
- One dagger
- Two vehicles attached under legal provisions
In addition, authorities have frozen more than Rs 1.07 crore in multiple bank accounts and attached a residential property belonging to the alleged kingpin, Mohammad Waseem Zargar, in Chattabal.
Police examining possible anti-national links
While investigators have not yet reached a final conclusion, police said the recovery of a pistol and a dagger alongside large quantities of narcotics and substantial financial assets has raised concerns about possible links with anti-national elements.
Officials said it cannot currently be ruled out that individuals associated with anti-national activities may have used the narcotics network to generate funds through drug trafficking. However, SSP Chakravarty stressed that the investigation remains ongoing and no definitive conclusions have been reached at this stage.
“Our objective is clear, to identify this entire organised network and dismantle it completely. The investigation is not yet complete, and further arrests and recoveries are likely,” he said.
Investigation continues across multiple states
The operation has expanded beyond Jammu and Kashmir, with investigators continuing raids at pharmaceutical companies and other locations outside the Union Territory. The involvement of multiple states, including Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Uttar Pradesh, has led police to treat the case as a complex interstate criminal network rather than a local drug-trafficking operation.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the Arms Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
As investigators continue to map the network’s financial and operational structure, police believe more arrests could follow. Officials say the focus remains on identifying every link in the chain, determining whether any anti-national connections exist, and ensuring that the entire network is dismantled.
