Army Personnel Arrested at Srinagar Airport After 213 Grams of Poppy Straw, Cannabis-Like Substance Seized
Srinagar, October 4: An Army personnel was arrested at the drop gate of Srinagar International Airport on Saturday after police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel recovered suspected banned substances from his baggage, officials said.
The arrest took place during a security check on October 3 at the airport’s outer screening point. According to officials, the baggage yielded 213 grams of poppy straw and 69 grams of a cannabis-like substance. The seized material was taken into custody by the security personnel at the spot.
A case has been registered under the relevant provisions of law and an investigation has been initiated, officials added. However, the initial official account did not disclose the identity, rank or unit of the Army personnel, nor did it specify the police station concerned or the exact sections invoked.
The incident was first reported by the Press Trust of India and later carried by several other outlets, including News18, Outlook India, Kashmir Reader and Kashmir Life. Those reports consistently placed the apprehension at the airport drop gate and cited the same quantities of the two substances. No official statement from the Army had been issued at the time of the agency reports.
Poppy straw and cannabis are controlled substances under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. Possession above the small-quantity thresholds prescribed under the law can lead to prosecution, subject to laboratory confirmation and the outcome of the investigation. Officials have described the second recovery as a cannabis-like substance, suggesting that chemical examination will be part of the inquiry.
Airport security in Srinagar is handled jointly by police, the CRPF and other agencies under the civil aviation security framework. The drop gate is the outer checking point for vehicles and persons entering the terminal area. The agency reports did not say whether the Army personnel was arriving, departing or in transit, and they also did not indicate where the recovered material may have come from.
The investigation is expected to focus on the source of the substances, the circumstances in which they were being carried and whether any other person was involved. Until the probe is completed and the seized material is forensically confirmed, the case remains at the registration and inquiry stage based on the recovery reported by officials.
