JAMMU, Apr 15: Jammu and Kashmir Police announced the dismantling of a major interstate and cross-border narcotics syndicate with the arrest of most-wanted drug kingpin Gulzar Ahmad, known as “Lau Gujjar,” along with several key associates.
Senior Superintendent of Police (Jammu) Joginder Singh called the arrest a “major breakthrough,” stating Gujjar had been evading capture for over two decades while supplying narcotics in bulk across the region. “He was a hardcore criminal and a key figure in the drug supply chain. His network has now been fully identified and dismantled,” Singh told reporters.
Gujjar entered crime as a bovine smuggler in 2006, shifted to drug trade around 2016, and significantly scaled up operations by 2019. At his April 4 arrest, police recovered a Pakistan-made pistol, more than 700 grams of heroin, and arrested three associates. Interrogation of around 10 more suspects is underway, with about two dozen others identified and under surveillance.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by an SP-rank officer has been formed to probe financial trails, asset creation, and forward-backward linkages of the network. Police are investigating the medication’s source and entry routes—whether via Punjab, J&K, or other border areas. The recovered weapon points to a Pakistan link, suggesting a broader “narco-terror angle,” Singh said.
Gujjar was wanted in at least 28 cases in Jammu district alone, with dozens more FIRs registered against him in other states under different identities. This year, Jammu police have registered 103 drug-peddling cases, nine involving commercial quantities. Nearly 11 kg of heroin, along with poppy husk, ganja, controlled medication capsules, and other contraband, has been seized. Around 20 driving licenses were cancelled and nearly 200 vehicles linked to drug activities blacklisted
