Police investigate alleged narcotics links after arrest of Srinagar man

Jammu and Kashmir Police are investigating the alleged role of Haris Hameed Malla in an interstate narcotics network after arresting him in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Malla was among eight locals from Srinagar arrested after police announced on October 1 that they had dismantled what they called a structured network. The investigation is continuing into the individual roles and connections of those arrested, police said.

The Hindu reported that a social-media account purportedly belonging to Malla displayed photographs with politicians and senior officials, including police officers. The account described him as a community journalist, media panellist, public speaker and editor-in-chief of an online newspaper. The account also carried a letter attributed to the Lok Bhavan.

Malla claimed that it invited him to participate in Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s Nasha Mukt J&K anti-drug campaign earlier this year. The newspaper said it could not establish the authenticity of the letter. Police said the wider case involved the procurement, transportation, storage, distribution and financing of banned pharmaceutical drugs, with links extending beyond Jammu and Kashmir.

The police action resulted in the recovery of about ₹2.20 crore from a locker, as well as drugs and a pistol, according to the force’s account. The source material did not identify the specific drugs, describe the weapon or say whether all recovered items were directly linked to Malla. The photographs and claimed official association do not establish involvement in the alleged network.

Police have not publicly detailed the evidence against each accused, and the investigation remains in progress. The case therefore has two separate elements: the police inquiry into an alleged interstate narcotics operation and questions about the authenticity of material posted from an account said to belong to one of the arrested men.