The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Jammu Sub-Zonal Office, carried out searches at nine locations in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir near the Line of Control (LoC). The searches were carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, as part of a money laundering probe linked to narco-terror funding cases registered by the Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab Police.
According to an ED press release, the investigation has uncovered an organised narco-terror funding network operating between Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. The network allegedly involved Punjab-based handlers Satnam Singh and Manjit Singh alias Maan, along with Kupwara-based operatives Safeer Ahmed and Kafeel Ahmed, who were reportedly operating near the LoC.
The probe found that heroin consignments were allegedly smuggled into India from Pakistan through handlers linked to the terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen. The Pakistan-based handlers reportedly coordinated with Kashmir-based accused Safeer Ahmed and Kafeel Ahmed to move the heroin through areas near the Amrohi border and LoC. In one case, 35 packets of heroin were recovered. Five packets were allegedly distributed or kept locally, while the remaining 30 were hidden inside a truck tyre for transportation to Srinagar.
The consignment was allegedly handed over in Srinagar to Punjab-based carriers Sarabjeet Singh and Honey Baara. They were later intercepted at Banthal in September 2023, when 30 packets containing around 31 kg of heroin were recovered. According to the ED, the Punjab-based network led by Satnam Singh and Manjit Singh alias Maan used forged documents, fake vehicle papers, hidden compartments, multiple vehicles and cash transactions to transport and distribute the drugs.
The investigation also uncovered several other instances of heroin being transported from Srinagar and Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab through the alleged network. According to the ED, carriers and transporters were used to collect more than 60 kg of heroin from Kashmir-based operatives and take it to Punjab for further sale and distribution. The agency alleged that the proceeds from the sale of heroin were used to finance terror activities.
The ED said its investigation also found banking transactions, including large cash deposits in the accounts of Manjit Singh Maan and Sarabjeet Singh. The searches, particularly in areas close to the border and LoC, are significant as they target the logistics and local facilitators allegedly linked to the cross-border narcotics supply chain.
During the searches, ED officials recovered and seized several incriminating documents and bank account records under the provisions of the PMLA, 2002. The agency also froze several bank accounts containing a total amount of approximately Rs 49.9 lakh.
Further investigation is underway.
Follow us
