25 drug peddlers jailed for one-month ahead of elections in Poonch

Jammu, Apr 21 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday said 25 ‘chronic’ narcotic smugglers in Poonch were detained and jailed for a month amid intelligence reports that they pose a threat to the peaceful holding of Lok Sabha polls in the border district.

Poonch is part of Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency, which is going to polls in the third phase on May 7.

Hailing from different areas falling in the jurisdiction of police stations of Poonch, Surankote, Mandi, Mendhar and Gursai, the police said they have been found involved in peddling of drugs in their areas and were also implicated in various cases under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

“They have become a potential threat to the lives of the younger generation of the district. It was also reported by many people and intelligence agencies that these individuals might pose a threat to the peaceful electioneering process,” police said in a statement.
It said more detentions of the identified drug peddlers cannot be ruled out in the coming days.