Five armed forces personnel and four other people were denied bail after being charged with conducting a drug trafficking racket from the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
For transporting drugs from the Tangdhar along the Line of Control, the accused were detained last month. Drugs were also found in their possession, NDTV reported.
Armed forces have now been detained for drug smuggling from the Line of Control in Kupwara area twice in the previous two months.
On December 23, police detained 17 persons, including five police officers, as part of a significant operation on narcotics smuggling coming from Pakistan.
Today, when the Additional District and Sessions Judge in Kupwara was to hear the bail plea of detained members of the armed forces, the court issued made observations about the accused and denied their bail.
According to the court, the men were meant to serve as societal protectors but they instead became involved in drug trafficking, the report said.
The detention is required for them is required, the court said, in order to apprehend additional gang members.
The accused troopers have been identified as Naib-Subedar Puran Singh, Anil Kumar (driver) Sepoy Sushil Kumar, Naik Waseem Ahmad Mir and Mohammad Shafiq Khan.
Four civilians arrested in the case are Mashkoor Sheikh (working as a porter with Army). Mohammad Yousaf Kothari, Saleem Sheikh and Mohammad Imran Teli, the report added.
