Srinagar, March 24 : Police in Jammu and Kashmirâ??s Pulwama district said on Tuesday that they have arrested a drug peddler and recovered 771 gms of contraband from his possession.

A police spokesman said that in a major crackdown on drug trafficking, Pulwama Police apprehended a suspected drug peddler during a naka checking operation and recovered a substantial quantity of contraband substance, registering a formal case under the NDPS Act.

â??Pulwama Police apprehended a person during naka checking at Tengpona Road near Womenâ??s Degree College. During the naka, a suspect carrying a nylon bag was intercepted by a team from Police Station Pulwama. Upon search, a charas chora/ganja-like substance weighing approximately 771 grams was recovered from his possession along with the nylon bag," the police said.

The accused has been identified as Mohd Arif Malik, son of Reyaz Ahmad Malik, a resident of Malikpora, Pulwama.

Accordingly, a case FIR No. 37/2026 under relevant sections of the NDPS Act has been registered at Police Station Pulwama, and further investigation is underway, it reads. Pulwama Police reiterated their commitment to curb the menace of drugs and urged the general public to cooperate and share any information related to drug abuse or trafficking.

The J&K Police and the security forces have been carrying out anti-terrorist operations in the union territory, and drug smugglers, drug peddlers and those involved in hawala money rackets and other unlawful financial activities are also on the scanner of the security forces.

It is believed that funds generated by drug smuggling, drug peddling and through hawala money rackets are finally used to sustain terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Army and the Border Security Forces (BSF) guarding the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border, respectively, are deployed to prevent infiltration, exfiltration, drug smuggling and drone activities initiated from across the border.

Drones are used by terror outfits with the help of Pakistanâ??s ISI to drop payloads of arms, ammunition, cash and drugs into the Indian side to support terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

/IANS