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NEW DELHI: Police in Jammu and Kashmir’s Awantipora area have booked a terror associate under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) and detained a habitual drug peddler under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act, officials said on Friday.The terror associate, identified as Suhail Farooq Lone alias Sahba, a resident of Tral in Pulwama district, was booked under the PSA after formal detention orders were issued by the competent authority. He was subsequently lodged in District Jail Baderwah, a police spokesman said.Lone was actively involved in providing logistical support, shelter and transportation to terrorist outfits operating in the area. Despite repeated preventive measures, he continued to engage in activities prejudicial to state security, necessitating his detention.In a separate action, police detained Manzoor Ahmad Mir alias Mana Tiger, a resident of Pampore, under the PIT-NDPS Act. Mir, a habitual offender with several NDPS cases registered against him, was involved in supplying contraband substances to local youth in Pampore and other areas of Awantipora. His continued involvement in drug trafficking posed a serious threat to society, warranting his preventive detention under the Act. He was subsequently lodged in Central Jail Kot Bhalwal, Jammu.The Public Safety Act, 1978, provides for preventive detention of individuals engaged in activities prejudicial to state security. The PIT-NDPS Act similarly allows detention of habitual drug offenders to curb the menace of narcotics.Police said such sustained preventive measures reflect the resolve to dismantle the terror ecosystem, curb drug abuse and safeguard the lives and future of youth in the region. The public has been urged to share information related to terrorism or drug trafficking with police.
