J&K admin sacks five policemen, one teacher on narco-terrorism charges

This brings the total number of such terminations to 74.

Those sacked Saturday include Head Constable Farooq Ahmad Sheikh, Constable Khalid Hussian Shah, and Constable Rahmat Shah, all posted to Kupwara; Constable Irshad Ahmad Chalkoo, and Constable Said Din from Doda. The sixth person who was sacked was Nizam Din, a teacher from Kirni in Poonch.

Head constable Sheikh and constables Khalid Hussain Shah and Rehmat Shah have been accused of playing a pivotal role in “creating a drug syndicate with an effective and vast network” as “willing collaborators of the adversary” to generate funds that would be “channelised to sustain the terrorist-secessionist ecosystem” in the UT.

According to these sources, Sheikh, recruited in the police in 2000, used his position in the police to act as a conduit to supply the smuggled narcotics from across the border to the urban consumption belts of Srinagar, Budgam and its peripheral satellite areas.

His involvement allegedly came to light when his “associate”, Rahmat Shah, was arrested with around 806 grams of brown sugar on the way to Kupwara from Karnah in North Kashmir.

“On further investigation, he confessed the names of two associates being involved in this syndicate, one of whom was Farooq Ahmad Sheikh. During the subsequent search based on this confession, around 454 grams of brown sugar was recovered from Farooq Ahmad Sheikh who had hid it in the premises of his residential property. The quantity recovered is worth around Rs 1.5 crore in the international market,” one source said.

Sheikh is from Ibkoote village in Tangdhar, located 5-6 Km from the Line of Control (LoC). Sources claim he used his knowledge of the local terrain and topography to establish contacts with narcotic drug smugglers in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and was at the forefront of a narco-terror network.

Constable Khalid Hussian Shah, who joined the force in 2009, has been accused of exploiting his position in the police to facilitate the smooth transportation and sale of drugs. “His involvement with adversaries, facilitating and supporting the terrorist ecosystem has caused colossal damage to the reputation of the department, society, and the nation,” one investigator said.

Meanwhile, Rahmat Shah, allegedly became part of the narco-terror module during the period of his prolonged service in Kupwara.

According to sources, he got “acquainted” with a number of drug peddlers in the adjoining areas of Kupwara and Karnah and “being one of the early promoters of narcotic trade in the area as well as taking advantage of being a part of J&K Police, he enticed a number of other people who later turned into hardcore peddlers to be finally booked under law”.

Constable Irshad Ahmad Chalkoo was recruited to the executive wing of Jammu and Kashmir Police in 2009. “Over a period of time, he developed a close relationship with the terrorist associates of the area and started working as an Over Ground worker (OGW) with the proscribed terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). Eventually, he graduated to be the point-man and logistics provider in Uri, Baramulla for the LeT,” the source quoted earlier said.

The investigation agency has allegedly recovered one pistol, two pistol magazines, eight rounds and one grenade from him. Apart from his alleged involvement in drug trafficking, Chalkoo stands accused of “providing effective support to the terrorists with precision, exploiting the system’s blind spots that he was supposed to safeguard”.

“He could arrange for transportation of illegal arms/ammunition without fear of random checks, his police credentials offering a nearly impenetrable disguise,” this source said.