Police action targets alleged financial links to narcotics and terror
Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday said it has attached or frozen four immovable properties across Srinagar with an estimated combined value of about ₹7.11 crore, alleging their acquisition or use in connection with drug trafficking and terror-related offences. The move, the force said, was taken under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
According to a statement issued by Srinagar police, the properties include residential premises, commercial structures and land that investigations identified as having links to offences registered at local police stations. The attachments bar sale, lease, transfer, alterations or creation of any third-party interest in the properties until further orders from the competent authority.
"The attachment order bars the sale, lease or transfer of the property, as well as alterations or creation of any third-party interest, until further orders from the competent authority."
Details of properties attached
Police provided particulars of two of the properties in Srinagar and its outskirts. The statement named owners and cited the FIRs and legal sections under which the actions were taken.
| Location | Owner | Property description | Estimated value | FIR / Legal provision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zakura, Bilal Colony | Owais Ahmad Rather (son of Gh. Mohd. Rather) | Residential house and adjoining land | About ₹2.5 crore | FIR No. 34/2026; Sections 8/22 and 29 of NDPS Act; attachment under Section 68-F(1) |
| BK Pora area, Wagoora | Sheeraz Ahmed Sheikh (son of Nazir Ahmad Sheikh) | Two-storeyed concrete building, two shops and a rice mill on 18 marlas | About ₹2.85 crore | FIR No. 121/2023; Sections 8/15 of NDPS Act; attachment under Section 68-F |
Police said two other immovable properties were also attached in Srinagar as part of the same operation, bringing the total estimated value to roughly ₹7.11 crore. The statement linked the actions to ongoing investigations under the NDPS Act and UAPA registered across Srinagar.
Administrative and legal implications
- Attachments were ordered under statutory provisions that allow freezing of assets suspected to be proceeds of crime or used in unlawful activities.
- Attached properties cannot be transacted or altered until the competent authority lifts the order or a court decides otherwise.
- Further legal proceedings, including adjudication of the attachment petitions, may follow as investigations progress.
The Srinagar police statement did not furnish additional operational details such as dates of seizure, personnel involved, or the identities of suspects beyond the property owners named. It also did not specify the remaining two properties by location or owner in the text released publicly.
Attachment of immovable assets is a tool increasingly used by law-enforcement agencies to disrupt alleged financial networks that support narcotics distribution and unlawful activities. In this instance, police said the properties were identified during probe stages and subsequently attached under the relevant sections of the NDPS Act and UAPA after obtaining necessary approvals where applicable.
Local residents and legal practitioners said such actions can affect livelihoods where commercial premises are involved, and stressed that judicial review and statutory safeguards remain available to property owners. Police said the restrictions imposed by the attachment orders will remain in force until competent authorities provide further directions.
Reporting agencies carried the police statement on the attachments; Srinagar police provided the particulars cited above in their public communication.
