Samba: Three police personnel, including the Station House Officer (SHO) of Bari Brahmana Police Station, sustained injuries after a police team was attacked by a group of drug peddlers and their associates in the Balol Khad area of Samba district late Wednesday night.
Police sources told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that the incident took place when a five-member team led by SHO Pushpinder Singh acted on specific intelligence inputs regarding the presence of drug peddlers operating in the Balol Khad area. Upon reaching the location, the team was surrounded and attacked by dozens of suspected drug peddlers and their aides.
The sudden and violent assault left SHO Pushpinder Singh and Sub-Inspector Abrar Mirza critically injured, while Head Constable Abdul Gani also sustained injuries. Two other constables accompanying the team managed to escape from the spot and later called for reinforcement.
All injured cops were initially rushed to Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital in Jammu. However, due to the severity of their injuries, SHO Pushpinder Singh and Sub-Inspector Abrar Mirza were referred to a hospital in Amritsar for specialised treatment.
Police have registered a case and launched a massive manhunt to track down the assailants involved in the attack. The area has been cordoned off, and search operations are underway.
Notably, the Balol Khad incident has once again highlighted the growing influence and brazenness of drug cartels in the Jammu region. According to recent reports, hundreds of drug peddlers are active across several hotspots, particularly in Samba, Kathua, and Jammu’s Rajeev Nagar area. [KNT]
