New Delhi: Manoj Kumar Bhat, also known as Pintu, a 35-year-old Kashmiri Pandit from Jammu, had managed to stay out of the reach of investigators for nearly four years. The State Investigation Agency (SIA) was looking for him in connection with an alleged cross-border narco-terror financing network, in which narcotics were allegedly smuggled from Pakistan and their proceeds used to fund terrorist activities. Investigators say Bhat kept changing his hideouts and avoided using mobile phones to stay off their radar.
Bhat’s arrest has drawn attention because of the long manhunt and because of his identity — reports describe him as a rare instance of a Kashmiri Pandit facing arrest in this type of cross-border narco-terror case.
According to local reports, Bhat’s family originally lived in Rainawari in Srinagar before moving to Jammu during the migration of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley, and his father worked for the state government. These details of his background have not been confirmed in the SIA’s own statements. There is limited verified information available about Bhat’s personal life. Investigators are now looking into his movements, contacts and alleged role in the network.
Why was Bhat wanted?
SIA registered an FIR against Bhat (FIR No. 13/2022) on June 3, 2022. The probe began after 1 kg of heroin was seized from Nowpora in Sopore from Zeeshan Ahmad Sofi and Waseem Ahmad Khan. Further investigation resulted in the seizure of 7 kg of poppy straw and 4 kg of poppy seeds. During questioning, the two accused allegedly told investigators about Bhat and his visits to Kashmir.
According to the SIA, Bhat travelled to Kashmir to collect narcotics smuggled from across the Line of Control. The agency alleges the drugs were then distributed through a network in Jammu & Kashmir, and that the money earned from their sale was used to finance terrorist activities linked to Hizbul Mujahideen.
Bhat allegedly took several steps to avoid being tracked. The SIA said he usually kept his mobile phone switched off and rarely carried one while travelling, and that when he did use a phone he switched numbers frequently — making it difficult for the agency to follow his movements through regular technical surveillance.
The SIA eventually combined technical surveillance with human intelligence gathered on the ground, tracing his activity to areas including Rehari, Sidhra, Nagrota, Nai Basti and Qasim Nagar in Jammu. The agency had also tried to arrest him around three months earlier; during that raid, Bhat allegedly escaped, leaving behind a quantity of heroin that investigators seized.
How was he finally caught?
The moment came when Bhat switched on one of his mobile phones. The SIA, which already had information about his movements in a particular area of Jammu, used the phone activity to track and arrest him. A search of his residential premises turned up 15 grams of heroin, electronic devices and a motorcycle, which are now being examined as part of the investigation.
The SIA is also looking for two alleged associates of Bhat who remain on the run.
Why has his identity drawn attention in the Kashmiri Pandit community?
Bhat’s alleged involvement has drawn attention among Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu given his family’s own history of displacement from the valley amid the rise of militancy in the 1990s. The community has long associated that displacement with Pakistan-backed militancy and violence in Kashmir, so an allegation linking a member of the same community to a Pakistan-backed terror-financing network has been particularly striking to many.
The SIA believes Bhat was part of a larger network rather than operating alone. Investigators allege narcotics were brought into Jammu & Kashmir from across the LoC, collected by people inside the region, and then distributed and sold — with proceeds channelled toward Hizbul Mujahideen, which operates from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Apart from Bhat, the SIA has arrested and filed chargesheets against Zeeshan Ahmad Sofi, Waseem Ahmad Khan, Bashir Ahmad Koli, Mohammad Ashraf Lone, Mohammad Saleem Khan and Zafraan Khan in the case.
Bhat’s arrest could help the SIA trace further links in the network. Investigators are now examining his electronic devices, questioning him about his alleged associates, and trying to establish how the narcotics and money moved through the network.
