Kathua Police Arrest Hardcore Drug Peddler; Heroin and Pistol Rounds Recovered in Drone Smuggling Case

KATHUA, DECEMBER 23: Under the supervision of SSP Kathua Mohita Sharma, police have arrested a hardcore drug peddler identified as Siraj Din, alias Saraju, a resident of Bishnah, Jammu. This arrest is the fifth in an ongoing investigation into a Pakistan-based drone dropping module registered under FIR No. 107/25 at Police Station Hiranagar, involving sections of the NDPS Act and UAPA.

The case originated from the recovery of over 400 grams of drone-dropped narcotics in the border village of Chhan Tanda, which led a specialized team—including SP (Operations) Mukund Tibrewal, SDPO Border Dheeraj Katoch, and SHO Ashish—to unearth a syndicate across Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. Investigators previously arrested four suspects who served as couriers, traffickers, and financiers, subsequently recovering more than ₹5 lakh in drug money and an additional 414 grams of heroin.

Siraj Din, identified as the chief recipient of the drone-dropped heroin and a street-level peddler, was apprehended following an investigation into the module’s forward linkages. Upon his disclosure, authorities seized approximately 25 grams of heroin, a sharp-edged weapon (Toka), and three pistol rounds. Kathua Police are currently conducting further raids based on these disclosures to dismantle the entire smuggling chain from drone dropping to local consumption.