Jammu, Feb 17 (IANS) J&K’s Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) said on Tuesday that it has arrested an absconding accused from Maharashtra.

“In a significant breakthrough in the investigation of FIR No. 09/2023 registered under Sections 8/20/29 of the NDPS Act at Police Station ANTF Jammu, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), J&K has successfully arrested an absconding accused from Maharashtra after sustained efforts. The accused, namely Arif Ibrahim Sayyed, son of Ibrahim Sayyed, resident of Sooraj Apartment, Shadi Mahal, Insha Nagar, Mumbra (Thane, Maharashtra), was wanted as a co-accused in the backward linkage of the above-mentioned case,” the agency said in a statement.

Sayyed had been evading arrest for the past 2–3 years despite continuous efforts by the investigating agency, it said.

According to the ANTF, during the course of its investigation, credible evidence had surfaced establishing his involvement in the narcotics supply chain connected with the instant case, and to secure his presence before the law, arrest warrants under Section 24 of the Police Act were duly obtained from a Jammu court.

“Acting on specific intelligence regarding his whereabouts, a dedicated team of ANTF Jammu proceeded to Mumbra, Maharashtra. With the active assistance and coordination of the local NDPS Police Team, Mumbra (Thane), the accused was apprehended on February 14 after meticulous tracking and sustained surveillance. Subsequent to his arrest, the accused was produced before the nearest Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Thane, from where a police transit remand was obtained as per due legal procedure.”

The ANTF said that Sayyed’s arrest marks a major step in dismantling the inter-state narcotics network operating in connection with the said case.

Further investigation is underway to unearth additional links and identify other associates involved in the drug trafficking chain, it added.

The ANTF reiterated its firm commitment to combating drug trafficking and bringing all offenders to justice, irrespective of their location.

–IANS

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