NCB custody breach: Drugs case accused escapes in Jammu

A drugs case accused escaped from Narcotics Control Bureau custody at its headquarters in Jammu, prompting police to launch a hunt. The accused, Aqib Bashir, was arrested with 522 grams of heroin in Samba and is allegedly linked to a narco module

Jammu: A drugs case accused managed to escape from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) headquarters here, prompting police to form a team to nab the fugitive, officials said on Monday.

Officials said the accused, Aqib Bashir of Kakapora town in Pulwama district, escaped from NCB custody on Sunday night.

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“He (Bashir) was arrested with 522g heroin in Samba. He is linked to a narco module,” an official said, adding that the NCB Jammu Zonal Unit has intensified its crackdown on heroin trafficking into Jammu and Kashmir, with recent operations indicating two distinct supply routes — heroin entering directly from Pakistan through the Uri sector and heroin being routed indirectly through Punjab into J&K.

In the latest operation on Thursday, NCB Jammu intercepted a passenger bus near the New Bus Stand in Samba and recovered 522 grams of heroin from Bashir.

“Investigation swiftly traced the backward linkage to Punjab. Acting on the lead, NCB mounted a separate operation at Ludhiana, resulting in a further seizure of 197 grams of heroin. The linked Samba-Ludhiana operation has thus resulted in the recovery of 719 grams of heroin, while further investigation into the network is continuing,” the official said.

Officials said the seizure was the fourth heroin interception by the NCB in the Jammu division within about a month, forming part of a sustained intelligence-led offensive against the supply and distribution of heroin in the region.

“The recent operations include seizures of 438 grams and 603 grams of heroin in two operations conducted inside drug-affected bastis in Jammu/Samba, taking enforcement action directly into vulnerable pockets being used for drug trafficking,” an official said.

In another major operation, the NCB had earlier seized 5.160 kg of heroin in Jammu. Investigation in that case indicated that the consignment had originated from Pakistan and entered J&K through the Uri sector.

The trail was pursued beyond the point of seizure up to Leh, where the alleged supplier was apprehended. The latest Samba case has now exposed the other supply channel, with the backward linkage leading to Ludhiana.

The operations indicate that heroin is being pushed into the region through multiple routes — directly across the Pakistan border as well as indirectly through the Punjab-J&K corridor.

The NCB’s strategy is therefore focused not merely on seizures at the point of interception, but on following every consignment both backwards to its source and forwards to its intended recipients, with the objective of dismantling the entire trafficking chain.

Further investigation into the suppliers, receivers, financial trail and other members of these networks is underway.