Kashmir Examiner | Jammu:
The Jammu unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has re-arrested an alleged drug peddler in Punjab, three days after he escaped from the agency’s custody in Jammu, media reports said on Thursday.
The accused, Aqib Bashir, a resident of Kakapora in Pulwama district, was apprehended in Jalandhar during a joint operation involving the NCB, Jammu and Kashmir Police and Punjab Police, according to media reports.
Bashir had escaped from NCB custody at the agency’s headquarters in the Narwal area of Jammu during the intervening night of September 6 and 7, triggering a security alert and a multi-agency search operation.
He was initially arrested by the NCB on September 3 after officials intercepted him while travelling on a passenger bus in Samba district. The agency allegedly recovered 522 grams of heroin from his possession.
In a subsequent operation in Ludhiana, officials reportedly seized another 197 grams of heroin, taking the total quantity recovered in the case to 719 grams.
Following his escape, Bashir reportedly travelled through a forested area before making his way towards Jalandhar via Pathankot. During his attempt to evade the authorities, he allegedly shaved his beard, moustache and head and changed his clothes to alter his appearance.
The coordinated efforts of the three agencies eventually led investigators to trace him to Jalandhar, where he was taken back into custody on September 10.
Further investigation into the drug trafficking case, as well as the circumstances surrounding his escape from NCB custody, is underway.
