SRINAGAR: Drug users and peddlers in Jammu & Kashmir are increasingly turning to pharmaceutical opioids, primarily painkillers, amid an intensified crackdown under Nasha Mukt Abhiyaan to make the UT “narcotics-free”.“It seems they were mixing several painkiller drugs to get the effect of heroin,” a police officer said, adding that abusers frequently use prescription medicines like Tramadol and Tapentadol, which they refer to as “Tapal“ in their local slang.Investigations have so far led to the recovery of 2,19,425 tablets and capsules of pharmaceutical drugs, as well as 3.830 kg of codeine-containing liquid, including the storage containers, police said.Since its launch on April 11, Nasha Mukt Abhiyaan has resulted in over 4,000 arrests, the seizure of 288 properties, and registration of 3,257 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The campaign includes awareness programmes, the destruction of illicit poppy crops, and random urine drug testing for drivers.On Thursday, Srinagar police arrested eight people after busting a major network involved in the procurement, transportation, storage, distribution, and financing of banned pharmaceutical products, with supply lines extending well beyond J&K.Among those arrested was Haris Hameed Malla, a Srinagar resident identified as a key accused in the network allegedly headed by Waseem Ahmad Zargar. While Zargar claimed to operate a legitimate pharmaceutical business, Malla allegedly projected himself as an influential figure, frequently flaunting photographs with top police and civil officials.His Instagram account featured photographs with Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Chirag Paswan, as well as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and National Conference MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi. On his social media profiles, Malla described himself as the editor-in-chief of the “India News Panel” and a community journalist. Malla had also posted a letter on X, purportedly written by L-G Manoj Sinha, regarding the UT’s efforts to combat drug abuse.
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A police officer said Zargar, the alleged primary supplier, revealed details of the operation during questioning. Malla subsequently fled the Valley but was traced to Bengaluru, where he was arrested.As part of the ongoing case, a house and two vehicles were attached in Srinagar’s Old City. Officials noted that the case is highly significant as locals are increasingly coming forward to report the growing drug menace. In Maharaj Gunj subdivision of Old City alone, 34 houses have been attached over the past few years.
