Illegal drug de-addiction centre demolished in Samba

Samba/Jammu, Feb 28 (PTI) An illegal drug de-addiction centre built on government land was demolished in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district on Wednesday, senior officials said.

The action came after Kapil Sharma alias Jimmy, the centre’s owner, was slapped with a Public Safety Act (PSA) notice for allegedly using the facility as a cover to continue his criminal activities, including drug peddling, Deputy Commissioner (Samba) Abhishek Sharma and Senior Superintendent of Police (Samba) Vinay Sharma said.

Talking to reporters in Samba after a three-hour operation to demolish the structure and retrieve 1.12 kanals of encroached land at Birpur in the Bari Brahmana tehsil, the officials said the drive was part of the administration’s campaign of zero tolerance against drugs.

Jimmy — a resident of Jammu named in 17 FIRs related to various criminal activities, including attempt to murder and carrying weapons, — was arrested on February 13 and subsequently slapped with a notice under the stringent PSA.

His illegally-run drug rehabilitation centre came to the fore during investigations in a case registered last month after 15 people were rescued from the facility. Jimmy emerged as the main accused and investigations revealed that the centre was built on encroached state land.

“A notice was put up on the encroached land on February 8 under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act and finally the structure was demolished and the encroached land retrieved. The message is loud and clear that criminal activities of any type, including drug peddling, will not be tolerated,” the deputy commissioner said.

He said the administration, with the help of the police, will continue its drive against illegal structures on the state land, encroachers and drug peddlers in the district.

Senior Superintendent of Police Sharma said identification of those involved in drug peddling is going on and strict action will be taken against them to counter drug addiction in the district.

“Jimmy was one of the most-wanted criminals and 17 FIRs were registered against him in different police stations in Samba and Jammu. A detention warrant under PSA was executed soon after his arrest by a police party from the Bari Brahmana police station,” he said.