Atul Sharma
Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 12: Five months after a woman police employee was thrown out of service over alleged drug links, another female employee of the Jammu and Kashmir Police has landed behind bars, allegedly caught with heroin, locally known as chitta, on the outskirts of Jammu city on Monday.
The arrest has sent fresh shockwaves through the department, which has been battling a string of cases in which its own personnel are accused of dealing in the very poison they are sworn to fight. Five police personnel were dismissed in 2025 over alleged involvement in the illegal trade.
The woman, who works as a Police Follower, was intercepted during routine vehicle checking at Balol Naka near Indra Nagar. A team from Police Station Miran Sahib flagged down a scooty bearing registration number JK02DW-7378.
At the wheel was Shameem Begum, wife of Mohammad Rafiq and a resident of Dak Bungalow Maralian. According to police, the suspected contraband was recovered during the search. She was apprehended on the spot, and both the substance and the vehicle were seized.
Police have registered FIR No. 161/2026 at Police Station Miran Sahib under Sections 8, 21, 22 and 60 of the NDPS Act. The investigation will now focus on tracing the source of the contraband, mapping its supply chain and identifying others who may be part of the network.
Investigators are also expected to examine whether the accused had links to other individuals in the drug trade, a line of inquiry that could widen the case considerably.
The case comes just weeks after another woman in uniform was shown the door. Police Follower Shameema Bano had been suspended earlier after her arrest by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Jammu, in a case under the NDPS Act involving the seizure of contraband. A departmental inquiry followed.
“Upon conclusion of the enquiry and after following due departmental procedures, SSP Baramulla, in exercise of powers vested under the relevant provisions of the J&K Police Rules, has issued an order dated 08.04.2026 for removal of the official from service,” police said.
District Police Baramulla reiterated its commitment to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity and accountability, adding that any involvement of police personnel in unlawful activities would be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law.
For a force at the frontline of J&K’s war on drugs, the sight of its own personnel in the dock is proving to be an awkward and damaging one. |
