Hizbul-linked drug module busted in Delhi, three held

A drug trafficking racket, associated with terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, has been busted here and three traffickers were arrested with 10 kg heroin valued at Rs.35 crore, police said Monday.

One of the three arrested men was identified as police constable Khurshid Alam from Jammu and Kashmir.

Alam and two men from Tamil Nadu - B. Ganesh and M. Senthil - were arrested with the heroin from Nizamuddin area in south Delhi.

Police said the drug syndicate's kingpin is based in Kuwait and is known as Ali.

They said money from the racket was used to fund terror activities, and the case was the biggest of its kind exposed in Delhi.

Special Commissioner of Police S.N. Srivastava said Hizbul members used to channelise the drug supply to India.

"More than 70 kg of heroin have been brought to Delhi in the past one year. It was later delivered to people in other parts of India," he said.

Another police officer said Alam revealed that Fayyaz, an area commander of Hizbul Mujahideen currently based in Pakistan's Abbottabad city, was sending drug consignments through conduits active in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to police, Fayyaz was active in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal till 2006 and then reportedly went back to Pakistan and has since been facilitating infiltration of terrorists into India.

"It was also revealed that a significant portion of the proceeds of this trade gets remitted to Fayyaz for furthering the activities of his terrorist organisation," the police officer added.

Alam befriended Fayyaz more than a year back through a friend. He also visited Pakistan several times.

"The money being transferred through the hawala network and various terrorist groups, including Hizbul, was being used in terror activities in India," a police officer said.

The drug consignments were brought to India by train, he said.

Police said a man named Gopi (whose identity is yet to be established and who was probably using a code name) operates as resident manager for Ali and looks after operations in south India by managing carriers and suppliers and controlling their movements.

Ganesh and Senthil were roped into the trade by a promise of a handsome amount for each successful receipt of drug consignments from Delhi and their safe delivery in Tamil Nadu.

Delhi Police said they have informed their counterparts in Jammu and Kashmir about the constable's arrest, saying more police personnel could be involved in such activities.