Budgam: Budgam Police have attached three immovable properties belonging to Pakistan-based militant handlers affiliated with the banned outfit Jammu Kashmir National Outlawed Party (JKNOP). The operation, carried out in coordination with the concerned Executive Magistrates, targeted locations in Khag, Chewa Beerwah, and Harwani Khansahib areas of central Kashmir’s Budgam district.
The crackdown is linked to FIR No. 58/2024 registered at Police Station Khag under Sections 7/25 of the Indian Arms Act and Sections 18, 20, and 23 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Proceedings for property attachment were undertaken under Section 25 of the UAPA, which empowers authorities to seize assets used to abet or facilitate militant activities.
The attached properties include a double-storied house in Harwani Khansahib belonging to Manzoor Ahmad Chopan alias Rayees, son of Gh. Mohi-ud-din Chopan; a double-storied residential structure and 5 kanals, 13 marlas of land in Chewa Budgam owned by Mohammad Yousuf Malik alias Molvi, son of Ab. Rahim Malik; and 19.5 marlas of land in Khag owned by Bilal Ahmad Wani alias Umer, son of Ghulam Ahmad Wani. All three individuals are believed to be operating from Pakistan and have been active in directing, financing, and facilitating militancy in the region.
According to police, these handlers have played a sustained role in promoting and orchestrating militant activities from across the Line of Control. The seizure of their properties forms part of a broader strategy to choke the logistical and financial lifelines that keep militancy networks functional on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir.
Officials stated that this decisive action serves as a stern warning to anti-national elements, particularly those coordinating from foreign soil, that the state is fully empowered and determined to act under the law. The campaign to identify and confiscate assets linked to terrorism is expected to intensify further in the coming weeks. [KNT
