The corpse of the dead was discovered in the hamlet of Pingla Haridal.
Kupwara, Aug. 29: On Tuesday, police said that unidentified assailants in Kupwara assassinated a 42-year-old man who was reportedly engaged in drug smuggling.
According to a police statement, during the intervening night of August 28 and 29, at about 2200 hours, gunshots could be heard in the Haridal area of the police station Teetwal Karnah.
After hearing the gunshots, the local Army unit and police force immediately began a search operation. The 42-year-old Mukhtar Ahmad Shah, a native of Panjtaran Karnah and the son of Lt. Syed Akbar Shah, was found dead during the search operation. In the hamlet of Pingla Haridal, the corpse of the dead was discovered. The corpse was swiftly brought by the police to SDH Tangdhar for the required medical and legal processes. The corpse was given to the family for funeral rites after the post-mortem examination. Under the necessary provisions, a case has been filed, and an exhaustive investigation has been started.
According to early findings, the dead may have been murdered by members of a competing drug trafficking organisation or a competing terrorist organisation.
According to the report, Mukhtar Ahmad Shah was a prominent drug smuggler who was highly sought after in the area. He admitted to organising the transfer of large amounts of drugs and guns over the border after being implicated in two recent episodes of drug and weapon smuggling. The extent of his engagement in these illegal operations is shown by his relationship with his brother, Sadiq Shah, who is well-known for being a launching commander and a supplier of drugs and guns from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK). Sadiq Shah, a prominent terrorist leader located in POJK, is now facing accusations in narco-terror cases.
According to the police, the Shah family has been involved in a number of court disputes involving the smuggling of firearms and drugs. At least six other Mukhtar Ahmad Shah family members are now charged with participating in these illicit operations.
