Parcel Meant For Kashmir Farmer Throws Up 4kg Of Cocaine

Earlier this month, J&K Police received a tip-off: A consignment of narcotics was being sent to Ganderbal district.

The information was significant given the police’s intensified crackdown on drug trafficking, which has lately seen suspected traffickers being booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA), their properties seized, and, in some cases, even their houses demolished.

After intercepting the packet, police landed at the house of the intended recipient of the parcel: A humble poultry farmer who had got married only a few months ago. He told police that he was expecting poultry feed in the parcel and had no idea about the narcotics.

He did mention another curious piece of information, though. Earlier this year, he had received a phone call from a number in Saudi Arabia, warning him against proceeding with his marriage plan.

Police questioned his wife, which led them to their culprit: A man called Tariq Ahmad Sofi in Srinagar. A resident of Zainakote area, Sofi was the former boyfriend of the poultry farmer’s wife who had hatched the plan to get him arrested in a drugs case, police said. Sofi was arrested on August 9.

A police officer told The Indian Express that on August 8, police received a tip-off about a parcel containing drugs being couriered from outside Jammu and Kashmir. He said the parcel was intercepted at the post office in Ganderbal and opened in front of a magistrate. It contained a consignment of narcotics, including four kilograms of cocaine, 80 grams of cannabis and some psychotropic drugs.

The parcel was couriered from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh – some 1,300 kms away.

A police officer said the farmer told the investigators that he had received a call from a similar number sometime earlier, warning him against marrying the woman. The revelation gave the investigation a new direction.

“It was then that we started to look at the conspiracy angle and the plot to frame him,” he said. Accused Sofi has revealed that the sender from Kanpur, identified as Areeb, was his friend and had shipped the parcel at his insistence.

Sofi has been booked under sections 8/20 and 21 of the NDPS Act.

Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. Expertise and Experience Two Decades of Frontline Reporting: Bashaarat has spent 20 years documenting the evolution of Kashmir, from high-intensity conflict and political shifts to socio-economic development. Award-Winning Investigative Journalism: He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award (2012). This honor was bestowed for his reporting on the Pathribal fake encounter, a series of stories that highlighted his ability to handle sensitive human rights and security issues with investigative rigor. Specialized Beats: His authoritative coverage spans: Political Transitions: Tracking the shift from statehood to Union Territory, electoral dynamics, and the pulse of local governance. Security & Conflict: Providing nuanced reporting on counter-insurgency, civil liberties, and the impact of the conflict on the civilian population. Development: Documenting the infrastructure, healthcare, and educational landscape within the Valley. Academic Background: He holds a Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir, providing him with a localized academic and professional foundation that is rare in regional reporting. ... Read More